Upgrades
by unlimited-dreamer
Summary: Tadashi would have to admit, taking the visiting professor's robotics class affected him a lot more then he expected. He also didn't expect to get attached to her so quickly. Pre-Big Hero 6. TadashixOC, a transgender character.
1. Chapter 1: Professor Lore

Hello! This is going to be one of my first fanfictions in a few years. I found the idea of a crossover really fun, so I put my characters from an original story into the Big Hero 6 world. The character I'm bringing over into this story is my main character, Alice. She has her own story in the works, which has yet to be posted.

So... Let's start this.

* * *

Exams were without a doubt the worst thing about university.

On top of the SFIT professors hounding for their students to keep up their personal projects, they expected them to do group robotics assignments', study for exams, write term papers and go to class. It was no wonder by this point that a majority of the students lived in their labs.

Tadashi was on his third day of non-stop school work and he was looking like a mess. Unshaven face, bed head and a slight case of B.O was the least of his problems. He typed furiously away at his keyboard, determined to have the last of his papers done before the stroke of 7. As the words on the screen became blurry, he stopped and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. He had been at this for what seemed like hours, he just wanted it to be over. Turning his attention away from the computer, he looked at the large robotic blue prints he had pinned to the wall facing him. He had started a skeleton and coding, but most of it lay in pieces on the ground. He knew what he wanted to make the moment he joined SFIT, but with school getting in the way, it was getting harder and harder to work on his project.

"Don't you worry, buddy. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done," He said with a small smile, cracking his knuckles. "Just a few more paragraphs and the conclusion… and the bibliography…" He trailed off as he went over his work. It was going to be another long, long day.

With what seemed like hours that passed by, Tadashi let out a cry of victory as he hit the send button on the laptop. After proofreading his paper three times, he finally had the perfect thesis and polished off, as well as editing the title to not say "Last fucking paper of my life yaaaaaaaaaaas" to something a little more professional. He was proud of himself, he pretty much finished in record time. At least that's what he thought until he actually looked at the clock.

"You're_ kidding_ me. It's nine o'clock?!" He groaned, covering his face with his hands. Peeking through his fingers to his phone, he saw the texts from his friends. It had been close to four days since he had seen them in person, their texts telling him to leave to lab and go home for the night. Wasabi even texted him a list of health food stores by the university so he could eat.

Shutting down his laptop, Tadashi decided to take his friend's advice. Instant ramen could only fill a man for so long before he's ready to eat his own shirt. Grabbing his bag from off the floor, he walked over to his unfinished robot and placed a hand on its head. "I'll come back in the morning. See you then, buddy," He said, patting it before turning to the door. Reaching put for the handle, the door was pulled open by a familiar face.

"Ah, Professor Callaghan," Tadashi said in surprise, standing up straight. "I was just heading out."

"Off to the medical lecture you asked me to sign you up for?" The professor inquired, a knowing grin on his face as Tadashi dead panned. "It's in hall C, room 812." He chuckled as he watched the older Hamada ran feverishly out of the labs to the other half of the campus.

Tadashi stumbled up the step to the lecture hall and turned the corner so quick he went right into the wall. Recovering in record time, he dashed down the hallway, mentally reading the numbers until he came to the right one. Shoving the doors open, he dragged himself to a nearby lecture table and collapsed, crumpled up like a paper ball on the floor. He understood why Fred liked lying down after he was out of his mascot suit, the tiles where cool and inviting. He almost didn't even care that he could hear the people behind him snickering; he just wanted to catch his breath… Maybe close his eyes for a moment… It would be fine, he'd be up and ready to go in no time.

But when it rains, it pours. He didn't even get even get five minutes before a loud slap on the table above woke him from his delirium. Tadashi awoke with a start, jumping up and narrowly missing whacking his head on the tabletop. He quickly sat down in the seat next to him, staring at who or what awoke him.

Standing by the table next to his was a tall Native American woman in a lab coat, her right arm in a sling. She wore dark blue skinny jeans and what looked like a blac, sleeveless turtleneck under her coat, while her long hime styled hair was lazily thrown into a bun.

On the table was a large metal case, about the size of a guitar. He safely assumed that was what woke him up. Digging into his own bag, he pulled out his laptop as the woman stood in front of the class. She smiled before speaking.

"Good evening, I'm Alice Lore," She began, looking around the class slowly as if to meet everyone's eye. "As you may know, I've been brought here for the next few months to continue and expand on my research in robotics. Some of you may know me from my medical papers published on artificial intelligence," She continued, idly walking around the classroom.

Tadashi recognized the name. His coding for his robot required for it to think on its own and during his own research, he had read over her reports. She expanded on the idea of robots working in the medical field and a possibility for an advanced AI would be used for grieving parents. He watched as she walked over to his table and opened the large case, pulling a set of colored balls out. What in the world was this going to be used for?

"Since my publishing, I've moved into a different field. Can I get a volunteer to give me a hand?" She asked, stepping back from the tabletop. The class was almost silent, a slight murmur as students leaned over to their friends to whisper. Alice stood patiently and waited for a moment. A look of annoyance crossed her face and she began to speak before Tadashi held up his hand.

"See? It wasn't that hard," She said pointedly to the rest of the class as Tadashi got up and stood beside her. She was very tall, a mere centimeter off Tadashi's 6'0. "Thank you, sleeping beauty," She said with a chuckle, walking over to her desk. Tadashi stumbled over himself, following after her.

"I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean to…" He started, before being promptly cut off. "It's alright, Mr…?" She looked at him skeptically, waiting for a reply.

"Hamada. Tadashi Hamada," He replied, adjusting his shirt. This was a first; he expected to be reamed out… or maybe she was waiting for his guard to be down before she laid it on him. "I want you to stand over there and throw those balls at me," She stated assertively, turning him around and shoving him back towards the balls. He stared at her, confused by what was going on as he walked over and picked them up.

"Alright, Hamada. Throw them," She said with a grin. Tadashi glanced up at the others behind them, all of them watching him worriedly. "Today, Hamada." He took a breath, tossing them to her.

With a flick of her wrist, she ripped off her sling and the class collective gasped. Her entire right arm, all the way up past the shoulder blade was a full robotic prosthetic and to their amazement, her robotic hand caught the balls. Tadashi almost swore as Alice chuckled loudly and began to juggle them, clearly having fun. Everyone got out of their seats and walked over to where Tadashi stood, trying to get a better look as she walked around.

"You can all guess what I went into," She smiled, tossing the balls to a nearby student. "So… who wants to learn just how this piece works?" A loud cheer erupted from the class as she motioned for them to come closer.

"Hamada, give me a hand," She said, having him stand beside her. "Hold out your hands for a second." Doing as he was told, she held her arm out above him. Alice reached behind her shoulder blade and after a set of beeps and clicks, the arm dropped off into his hands. He had to readjust himself due to the weight, examining the arm as quick as he could.

"As you can see here, the limb connects to me via this port," She explained, showing them the metal connection line incased in her shoulder. "These wires and valves connect to my nerve ends, which clearly you can't see at the moment, and it relays commands sent by the brain to this little piece here," She continued, pointing out a section of the inner arm. As Alice continued her lecture and presented the makings and workings of the arm, Tadashi took mental notes on everything he could remember, including how the procedure was exceedingly painful to undergo.

"Now as this class is just a trial-run, I don't expect any of you to create one of these. I do expect to see you all showing me the best coding and machinery handling the school has to offer," She replied, taking back her arm. With a bit of difficulty, she reattached the arm with a sickening crack and started a few basic hand movements to insure it all worked. The students began gossiping amongst themselves as she did a few more arm stretches.

"If you don't want us to make them, then what is this class for? It's only a month long, how to you expect us to learn anything?" A male student chirped in.

"You'll be repairing and coding limbs for our future patients," Alice replied, tapping a triangle piece on her wrist. It flipped around and shone a bright light before it settled and projected a hologram of seven different people, all missing one or two limbs.

"These people here have completed all the trails and have their correspondence pieces attached to them already. What you are going to be doing to assisting me in completing and working out the kinks of these new limbs." As the class began talking excitedly, Tadashi could only think of one thing.

This would help a lot of people and if he used what he learned to his advantage, Baymax would be even more equipped to be the greatest nursing robot.


	2. Chapter 2: Final Testing

Wow, I updated within a day this is amazing. don't get used to it, I'm really bad at keeping a good pace...  
Alice Lore is my original character from a pre-existing story. If you want to see any drawings of her, please visit my drawing tumblr (link is to be added to my profile within the next week)

* * *

Tadashi had been right about one thing. They did help a lot of people, but even with such great results, it didn't stop people from dropping the class.

It had been two weeks a since the initial lecture and close to half of the class dropped out or never came back. It was almost understandable, with the last of exams and projects coming to an end. Tadashi, thankfully, had finished everything in advance so he could spend more time chasing after his brother and work on Baymax.

This also gave Professor Lore time to do one-on-one training with the remaining students. After their first lecture, she had brought in seven limbs for repair and assigned one to every group of three. The two Tadashi was working with had both dropped the class within a day of each other, both claiming the repair work to be out of their knowledge. He didn't mind that they had left as now he could bring the artificial hand to his lab to work on between breaks. He had repaired most of it but when it came to wiring it to its port, it would short out.

"Professor Callaghan showed me your last few projects and marks," Alice explained to him when she gave him the limb. "This piece has some of the most complex wiring and malfunctioned in the testing stage. I'd assume you'd want a challenge." It was challenging, but nothing he couldn't handle.

He strolled into the lab she had booked for them, looking around the room. There were two other sets of students there working with Alice at her own table working on a leg. Tadashi set himself up at a table close to the others, peeking at their work. One group had a foot that seemed to be in working order and the other hand an arm, like Alice's. Taking out his own, he began hooking it up to it's port and began testing it. The port was connected to his laptop and through a program, he could key in what he wanted the hand to do. If the port was connected and working properly with the hand, it would relay the message and the hand would do the action.

"Alright, this should do it," He said to himself as he typed in the command for 'wave'. Clicking the enter button, a short second later the hand waved at him. He did the same command another two times and moved on. "How about… 'thumbs up'?" With a whir and a click, the hand gave him an encouraging thumb up. He continued testing as Alice got up from her seat and walked around the room.

"Has there been any improvement, Hamada?" She asked inspecting the hand as it started doing finger exercises. "Oh, very good! It's working much better. Did you find the problem?"

"There was some faulty wiring and some serious coding issues," He answered, pointing her over to his laptop. "I went into the database you gave us and there was a bit of a bug in this one's core, plus a huge chunk of the code was… well, it was trash." He said hesitantly, watching her for a change of expression. When nothing changed, he continued. "The main problem with the port and hand was the wiring. I replaced them and redid a lot of the interior. This test should be the deal breaker," He said as he pulled a can of soda from his bag.

"You're checking the grabbing and squeezing attributes?" She asked, watching him place the can in the hand. "That better not be full, these haven't been coated in water sealant yet." He nodded in response and turned to his laptop, typing in the 'grab' command. He glanced over at the brunette before hitting the enter button.

The hand grabbed the can, earning a little fist pump from Tadashi. He entered the command again, the hand complying again. Now came for the final test. If the hand to squeeze the can successfully, he'd have completed the limb way ahead of schedule. Typing in the final command, his finger hovered above the key. He would be done for the semester with this and have time to work on his project, but that meant he wouldn't need to come back to class. He shook his head, no time for that. Tapping the key gently, he waited in anticipation at the hand.

Whiiiiiiir… CLICK. The hand crushed the can in one movement. He cheered for himself, grinning from ear to ear. Alice smiled with pride at him, patting his shoulder. "I'm impressed, Hamada. I think Kairi is going to be very satisfied with her new hand. …But maybe tone down the squeeze. She's got a pair of twins," She said with a chuckle. The praise had brought the other students from their limbs over to his table, inspecting the now working hand.

"Interesting…" One of the male students muttered as he went through the coding on Tadashi's laptop. "How long did it take for this to process and load to the database? The render must've taken at least a few hours. "

"You used animation software to get the movements down, right?" Another student inquired, peeking onto his laptop. Alice grinned, looking at Tadashi. "I think you'll have to stay a little while longer, Hamada. You've made quite the impression. I'm bringing this to the student hospital across campus for our patient, I'm sure she'll want to meet the student the fixed her hand."

"Yes, of course!" He replied with vigor, smiling brightly. This was awesome. He was done and he was going to be seeing his work go to good use. A female student burst his bubble a little too quickly, though.

"Why can't we come?" She demanded, glaring pointedly at Tadashi. "We're pretty much done ours, why does he get to go meet his patient?"

"It is? Well, then… Show me what you've done," Alice replied, waltzing over to the student's table and stared at the arm. "I'm on the edge of my seat."

The student seemed flustered and elbowed her work mate as they hurried over to the limb and their laptops. Hurriedly, they began typing and connecting it to its port. Tadashi noticed Alice's eyebrow twitch was they plugged the port into a USB slot and began pulling up the data base. It wasn't until they placed a stress ball in its hand did he see she was getting worried. "Okay! Watch this! 'Grab and Bend'," The girl said, whacking the enter key. The hand grabbed the stress ball, squeezing it hard as the arm bent as though it was lifting a weight.

Suddenly, the ball burst with a loud pop, all the students including Tadashi ducking for cover, and sent the fine powder it was filled with flying across the room. The arm seized for a couple of minutes, setting off a spark and flopped down lifelessly. Tadashi peeked out from under a table to see the damage. The powder hadn't gone very far, but the arm and table was completely covered in white. He had to cover his mouth to avoid chuckling out loud at what he saw next.

Alice stood in front of the table with her arms crossed, covered from head to waist in the white powder. She coughed, a puff of white coming off her lips as she stared at the powder covered student standing behind the table, looking down to avoid her eye. She reached over and picked up the now dusty arm, checking it for any extensive damage.

"Well… I hate to break it to you, but you've got to clean this thoroughly before you work on it anymore. That spark was concerning," She said, placing the arm on a clean table. The students looked at her, astonished they weren't getting reamed out. "There are micro cleaners in one of the labs, use those and see if on the cameras…" She continued as she showed them how to fix their mess. As the rest of the students stood, they watched as the professor calmed down the two and explained how to fix their problem and encouraged them to make more mistakes.

"You two have gotten pretty far though," She said with a grin. "Maybe this was a good thing it burst; now you can go inside and see what made it malfunction. Take a break and come back when you're feeling up to it, okay?

The set nodded before they started leaving the classroom to change clothes, both of them talking about how they should disassemble the limb without damaging it. Before they left, Alice turned to the rest of the class. "I'll be leaving for the next hour and a half, I want to deliver the finished prosthetic," She informed everyone, attempting to dust herself off. "Feel free to stay and work or you may go home if you please. I have to lab booked until midnight tonight."

"Did you still want me to come?" Tadashi asked her as the students disbursed, some going back to their work while others went to grab snacks.

"Yes, please. Get everything packed up, I'll meet you out front of the school in about a half hour."  
-

Tadashi stood outside by the steps, looking out at the massive university buildings surrounding him. The mix of both oriental and western architecture gave the grounds a unique and calming feeling. He looked over to his lab and grinned a little. He could see Wasabi and Gogo from the window getting into a heated conversation. The night before at the Lucky Cat café, they were auguring over what would be the better car for Wasabi to get. Gogo insisted on something fast and durable, while Wasabi held his ground on safety and cargo space. He chuckled at the memory.

"Is something funny?" He turned around to be greeted by Alice, now completely spotless, in a tight red pencil skirt and a black sleeves turtle neck. She flipped her long hime styled hair and posed dramatically. "Notice anything… different~?" She asked with a coy smile. Tadashi looked intently at her for a moment, tapping his chin. Something did look different, but what? He circled around her slowly and stared at her back for a moment before he knew exactly what it was.

"Your arm! It's… Is that a hologram?" He asked, grabbing her right arm, which looked and felt like a real arm. He couldn't believe it as he poked and prodded it. More than once did she use one of her holograms, which she refused to let anyone use, to joke around with. "No, this is silicone... How is this attached to the limb?"

"My arm has a lot more upgrades then the others we're making for patients," Alice replied as Tadashi continued his examination of it. "My arm has been completely sealed for water so I added a small part in the shoulder area that covers the limb in a silicone covering. Hold on, I'll show you," She said, lifting her arm out of his hands. She pressed a section on her collarbone and almost instantly, the silicone turned to foam and started to be absorbed into the metal of the limb.

"It's a chemical reaction in the base of the silicon and the fusion material I have in this prosthetic," She smiled, pressing the newly revealed button on her collarbone to start it again. "This one is different than the one I normally wear in the lab, it scares less people." She chuckled as her arm was once again covered in the silicon.

"I take it you have more than one version?" He asked with a grin as she began to walk down the steps.

"I have four different arms. This one, the regular one you've seen in class, one with the hologram projector and one for Halloween," She told him as they walked side by side.

"A Halloween one?" He quoted with a laugh.

"It's an accurate model of the all the bones from the tip of fingers to the ball-joint of my shoulder," She smirked, wiggling her hand at him "It's a hit a parties." Tadashi snickered at the thought.

"You should wear it the nest time my brother comes in, he'll get a kick out of it," He agreed as they both chuckled. They walked across one of the oriental garden bridges to the other side of campus towards a steep set of stairs. As they walked, the wind blew an updraft past them, the faint scent of cherry blossoms in the air as well as few petals. Alice began the descend, staying a few steps in front of Tadashi.

"How old is your brother?" She asked, looking back at him.

"He's fourteen. The kid is a genius," He said with pride. "Graduated high school at the top of his class last year with straight As and a perfect GPA."

"So when does he start here?" She inquired again, stopping for a moment for him to catch up to her.

"I want him to come here as soon as possible, but he seems to think bot-fighting is worth more of his time," He sighed, sitting down on one of the steps. The thought of him getting arrested took the energy out of him. They had escaped being arrested last weekend and Hiro promised to keep it on the down low for the next little while, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

"I'm sure you'll convince him one day. What's your age difference?"

"What's with all the questions?" He demanded jokingly. Alice looked at him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"I want to know more about my student. You know a lot about me, there's no way you wouldn't have taken my class if you didn't," She replied, hands on her hips. She had a point, but he knew the basics.

"You have a teaching degree in technology and served in a army for five years as a doctor in the field, then you came back and started work in the medical field," He listed, watching her. "… How did you lose your arm?"

Alice was silent for once. He had heard rumors about how she may have lost it, shark bit it off, cut it off to test the limbs, wasn't born with one… but he wanted to know. She sighed, walking over to him and sat down beside him.

"You know, sometimes I can feel it…" She said, looking off into the scenery in front of them. "When my arm is off, I mean. It's like it right there and I can almost reach out and touch it. …But then the feelings gone. Then I remember the pain of losing it… It's not the pain that hurts me the most, it's the memory."

Tadashi gazed at her as she spoke, before turning his gaze to the now setting sun. He understood that feeling. His parents passed away so soon and the thought of their death wasn't what caused him sadness, it was the happiness they left behind in memories. The birthdays they shared together, holding Hiro for the first time, going on a family trip… Those were the ones that hurt him the most. Aunt Cass did a good job of raising the boys and he loved her like a mother, but it never felt the same.

"… I don't like the dwell on what happened. But I still treasure the memories I have," She said softly. "You have to accept those mistakes and keep moving forward, like your classmates."

"… I think I understand what you mean," He replied after a moment of silence. Alice wrapped an arm around, patting his back. "Is it safe to guess you won't tell me what happened?"

"If you want a story to tell your friends, say I was an Olympic skater and I lost it in a routine gone wrong."

"… Is that what happened?" He asked, snickering.

"No, you nerd. Come on, we have a delivery to make. You're going to change someone's life today."


	3. Chapter 3: Attachment

Thank you for the favorites and follows! I know the story has been a bit slow but I promise, it'll pick up! Alice and Tadashi are about to get close and Hiro makes an appearance in this chapter as well. If you'd like to see any art I've drawn of the two, visit my profile and you'll find the link to my tumblr.  
Alice Lore is my original character from a pre-existing story.  
Also this is last update before the holiday! Have a merry Christmas!

* * *

When they arrived at the hospital, they were greeted by nurses and doctors alike. Most of the nursing staff was on a first name bases with Tadashi and they fawned and wanted to catch up with him. After they managed to escape towards to elevator hall, Alice grinned at Tadashi.

"So… Did you work as an intern here?" Alice asked as the nurses left. "Seems like you're a hit with the ladies."

"No, I've been here a few times with my baby brother," He explained as they walked to the elevator. "He's got a slight allergy to peanuts, but it doesn't stop him from eating candies with them in it."

"He sounds like a handful. A bot fighting, robotics genius with a sweet tooth? No wonder you wanted to make a nursing bot," Alice laughed in reply as they stepped on the elevator. Clicking the button for the third floor, Tadashi asked her about siblings. Maybe he would learn a little more a little more then what was on her wikia page.

"None what so ever. I wanted to be a big sister, but my parents didn't want another," She replied, sounding a little annoyed at the mention of her parents. As the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and even more nurses and doctors came to greet them, but this time, they fawned over the both of them.

"Ms. Lore! I need to speak with you about an issue we're having with Mr. Lundi..." An elderly doctor said, ushering her towards a room down the hall. As the nurses fawned over Tadashi and insisted on him coming to visit them more with his cute brother, he politely excused himself and followed after his professor. Alice stopped him before he could enter, turning him around to face the door next to them.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to your patient?" She suggested with a smile."I'll be in soon."

He smiled in reply and went to the door, knocking on it. When he heard a muffled "Come in", he was promptly latched on again by a pair of twin girls who opened the door for him.

"Mama, look! The nurse did bring us a friend!" The girls giggled as they pulled him over to their mother, who was sitting in a hospital bed. Tadashi laughed at the two as he gently pulled his hands free. "I'll play with you both in a minute. My name is Tadashi Hamada," he introduced himself to the mother. He had read her patient file when Alice had assigned the limbs to them. She had lost her left hand in a car accident two years ago and was coming back to the hospital on a weekly bases for rehab. She held up her left hand to shake his, before retracting it quickly and held out her right.

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to only have the one," She laughed, shaking his hand. "I'm Kairi and these are my girls, Mimi and Momo."

"I'm Mimi!" "I'm Momo!" The two piped in, climbing onto their mothers' bed. Tadashi shook their hands as well, smiling at the three. "I brought you a gift," he said as he opened his bag and pulled out the new limb, gasps emerging from all three. The girls leaned in closer to see the hand, oohing and awing. Kairi even joined in, inspecting the limb.

" I don't believe it, it's finished?" She asked Tadashi, as he set it down on the table beside them. "It's functional?" He nodded in reply, before they were started by yelling in the hall. Tadashi moved towards the door before Kairi spoke. "It's Mr. Lundi, he's in a foul mood again…"

"He's mean to everyone!" Mimi said, pouting. "He's really mean to Dr. Lore!" Momo added on, pouting like her sister. As a stream of colorful language was heard in the hall, Tadashi shut the door before walking back to the three. Sitting down in the chair by the bed, Kairi began telling him about the man next door.

"He has brain damage," She explained as she braided Mimi's hair. "He was involved in a bombing in a local college a few years ago. He thinks it's still the same day as the incident and… well, he's got some words about it." He wondered why the bombing occurred, but his thought process was cut off by the door opening. Alice walked inside with a sad smile on her face before she smiled happily at Kairi and her girls.

"I'm sorry about that. He's got more of a temper than normal," She laughed off, walking over to the bed. "I'm sorry girls, but could you sit over there for a few minutes? I'm going to attach your mom's hand, okay?"

The girls nodded in unison and hopped off the bed, sitting like they were asked and continued to braid each other's hair. With that, Tadashi got up from his seat and handed Alice the port and hand. The two helped Kairi sit up before Alice prepped her for the next part.

"Placing the hand is going to be the easier part, but I need you to be brave for your girls, okay?" She said softly, holding up the port. "This is going to hurt _a lot_ when it's attached, but it'll fade soon. … Do you want me to take your girls outside?"

Kairi shook her head, putting on a strong face. Alice began attaching the port to the stub of her arm, pushing it in. However, it was putting up resistance. The stub of her hand had a connecting area, like to a usb slot. It was just barely inserted and Alice was having trouble pushing in all the way in. Tadashi moved himself behind her, placing his hands over hers. She didn't even finch as he began applied pressure to the port. With a sudden loud CLICK, Kairi curled up in pain, clutching the bed sheets. Within a couple of minutes, she relaxed and unfurled, faced covered in sweat.

"Are you ready for the last part?" Alice asked, wiping the sweat off Kairi's face. "Do you need more time to rest?"

"No, I can do this," Kairi insisted, looking at both Tadashi and Alice. The two looked at each other and nodded, attaching the hand with little resistance. Alice stepped back as Tadashi finished attaching the hand. "That should do it. Get it a shot," He said with a small smile. Kairi lifted her arm and took a breath. She hesitated, looking helplessly to them. Mimi and Momo came over to their mother, now watching her as well.

"You can do it, mama… We know you can," Momo said, reaching out to hold her mother's free hand. "Mimi knows you can do it too!" Mimi added, both of them speaking softly. Kairi looked as though she was going to cry and strokes her girls hair with her new hand. She gasped, pulling it back. She wiggled her fingers and laughed.

"It works! It actually works!" She cried out happily, picking out her girls and hugged them tight. Tadashi felt a swell of pride seeing it work, turning to his professor with a smile. She smiled at him, patting his back.

"I'm proud of you. You did well."  
-

After the success of the attached limb, the entire hospital was in a better mood. They were kept there a long time, so much that Alice had called the university and asked for her class to be let go. Tadashi watched as Kairi showed off her new hand to her daughters and husband. It was a bit of a shock for the husband to see his wife with a metal limb, but he accepted her still with open arms. Doctors insisted to have them stay longer for drinks, but the two excused themselves. As they walked back up the steep steps to the university, they started a set of twenty questions.

"No way. You and your broke your legs at the same time?" She laughed. "Oh my god, how did you manage that?"

"Do you really want to waste a question on that?" He chuckled, walking along side here. She shrugged in return as he tapped his chin for a moment. "Oh, I got one. What happened to your arm?" Tadashi asked, insistent on an answer. "You asked me how I broke a limb, so I get to ask how you lost one."

"I told you, I fought a bear," she laughed as they reached the top. "No, you said it was a figure skating accident," He quickly replied, swooping in front of her and blocked her path. She stuck her tongue out at him, walking around him and to the bridge. He quickly followed after her, waiting for his reply.

"Okay, fine. I lost it in a lab accident," She finally said as they reached the school. Tadashi looked at her, nervous that he might've pushed too hard. She smiled at him, hands on her hips. "When I was working on a serum to turn me into a cat," She chortled, walking over to him. "Time for my question, ready?"

"Okay, shoot," He replied. He gave up for today, she clearly wasn't telling him.

"Is that your family over there?" She asked, pointing to something behind him. He turned around to be greeted by Aunt Cass and Hiro in her pick-up truck. He waved to them, signalling he'd be there in a minute.

"I'll be right back," He said, jogging over to the truck. "Hey, when did you guys get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago, thought we'd pick you up for dinner!" Aunt Cass said with a bright grin, peeking over his shoulder. "Oh! Who's your friend?"

"That's Alice Lore," He said, turning around and waving her over.

"Hello," She said as Alice stopped beside Tadashi. "Goodness, you're tall… Nice to meet you, I'm Cass Hamada. Are you done teaching for tonight?"

"I am. Your son is quite the robotics expert, it's almost sad that he's finished my class," She said, patting Tadashi's back. "I'd be very proud of him if I was you."

"I am proud of my nephew," Aunt Cass replied with a giggle, ruffling Tadashi's hair. "Would you like to come for dinner tonight?"

"… Sure, why not?" She responded, peering into the truck. "Oh, you must be Hiro." The teen was deeply engaged with a video game in front seat, managing a quick hello without breaking his concentration. "Just give me a moment to get my jacket and we can go." She turned on her heel and walked into the school building.

"There's not going to be enough room for all four of us in there, Aunt Cass," Tadashi quickly added. Aunt Cass looked back at in the truck, before noticing her mistake. "I'll drive us to the café." "On your bike? Sweetie, no. Put your bike in the back, Hiro can sit in your lap."

"Uh, no way!" Hiro piped in. "How about I go on his bike with him? I got my helmet," He asked nicely, holding up the beaten purple helmet. Cass shrugged and sighed as Hiro hopped out of the truck. "Just ride safely, okay?" She said, looking at Tadashi.

"Of course, Aunt Cass," Tadashi grinned, fist bumping his brother. "Hamada brothers always ride safe."

"I guess it's the girls club in the truck," Alice chimed in, startling the two. She had put on a leather jacket and now was sporting a large case the she placed in the back of the truck. Tadashi waved to the ladies before leading Hiro to the bike lot. Taking the keys out of his pocket, he got on the bike and started it as Hiro jumped on.

"Hey, Tadashi?" He asked as his brother kicked off, looping around the lot and drove down the long drive to the main road. "Can we make a quick stop?" Tadashi glanced behind him at Hiro and groaned. He had his Megabot in hand and a mischievous smile on. Turning his eyes back on the road, he sighed.

"Fine. Where's the place?"  
-

The bot fight was over quickly, but what took a long time was losing the people that Hiro had pissed off. Tadashi lectured him the whole ride and complained about how he shouldn't have agreed to do this detour while they were being chased by a gang in their sports car. It took exactly three loops around the city with detours and shortcuts to finally lose them and they arrived at the café right as Aunt Cass took dinner off of the oven.

"The secret is to cook the meat half way before you add it to the broth… Oh! You're finally home!" Cass was saying to Alice as the two boys collapsed on the stairs, worn out from the chase. "… What happened to you two?"

"We busted a tire," Hiro lied, making sure his bot and newly won cash was safely tucked into his pockets. "We went to an arcade to waste time and we lost track of it," Tadashi added on. "We're sorry, Aunt Cass."

"It's okay, boys. Both of you wash up for dinner, we're having udon!" She said, kissing the boys heads, earning a sound disgust from Hiro. "Come on, numbskull," Tadashi said, dragging his baby brother upstairs to their shared room. The two changed in to a pair of fresh shirts and washed their faces before coming back downstairs where Cass and Alice were deep in a talk about the cafe.

"If you like doughnuts, we should try our strawberry cream," Cass said as she finished serving the noodles.

"I think you're going to make me fat, Cass," Alice sighed dreamily. "I could eat you out of house and home…" Tadashi and Hiro sat down at the table, sitting across from the girls and started wolfing down the food.

"Believe me, with the way these two eat, they'll do that way before you," She laughed as she ate. "Oh right, you said you wanted to ask me about something."

"It's something I'd like to ask the two of you," Alice replied, glancing at her and Tadashi. "Tadashi did a great job working with me on our prosthetic limbs. Now I know summer for the students starts at the end of week, but I was wondering…"

"…Wondering what?" Tadashi asked, interest peaking.

"It was great to have an assistant, at least until the remaining students are finished. Now that I have completed limbs, I can't be at both the school and the hospital looking after patients. It would be nice to have some there in case they have any problems," Alice explained. "It would be paid, of course, but it's up to you."

"Oh! Well… He normally helps in the café during the summer," Cass said, thinking for a moment before looking at Tadashi. "It's your choice, sweetie."

Tadashi thought for a moment, looking over at his brother and aunt. A part of him wanted to say yes, but something in his gut told him no. He felt like he had to stay with them, like he might disappear suddenly. He looked up at his professor, taking it in. "Would it be an everyday sort of job?" He asked.

"More like once or twice a week," She smiled in reply. "There's just three more groups left to finish their work."

It would only be for a short amount of time, plus while he was there at the school, he could work on Baymax. The feeling in his stomach dulled, ruffling his kid brother's hair with much protest from him. "Sure, I'm your man," He said, going back to eating. Alice held up a thumb in reply, now stuffing her face with the udon noodles. The four ate and talked for most of the night, the boys getting up several times to get seconds and thirds. While the ladies cleaned up, the two boys began testing rocket shoes on Mochi, which worked a lot better than Cass expected it. However, Mochi didn't enjoy a bit of it. As Cass was bringing coffee out to them, Alice had switch her arm into for skeletal one, which Hiro had loads of fun with and scared the hell out of Cass.

However, the night had to come to an end. Cass had offered to drive Alice home, but she refused several times. "I'm just a tram ride away," She said as she reattached her arm, looking around for the skeletal one. "I think you're brother has a part of me," She commented to Tadashi as she got up. "Just bring it back before the summer is up."

"I'll make sure he doesn't break it until then," He replied as he escorted her to the door. As they slipped on their shoes and put on their jackets, Alice said her goodbyes to the family before stepping outside. "Thanks for coming tonight," He said as they walked to the tram stop.

"Thank you for having me," Alice smiled, brushing her hair out of her face. "I haven't had a dinner like that since I moved here."

"I'm sure Aunt Cass would want you to come back. … I'd like it too," He added on quick, glancing at her. Alice looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "Did you need me to come in tomorrow?"

"I don't think so, but give me your number. I'll text you when I need you to come," She stated, handing him her phone. He took the phone, adding his number into her contacts and handed the phone back to her. She took it and pulled him down to her level and took a selfie with him. "... Wow, this is pretty bad." He looked down at the phone. It was a terrible photo of them. He took the phone from her and positioned them before taking several photos. Honey Lemon had made him a selfie expert after all the photos she took with him and their friends.

"There, better," He said, feeling proud of himself. "What do you think, Alice?" He could see she was thrown off by him using her first name.

"It's perfect, Tadashi," She replied, sending a pleasant chill up his spine. The tram pulled up a few seconds later, Alice hopping on. They two waved goodbye as the tram rolled down the street. As he walked back to the house, he received a text. Pulling out his phone, he looked back at the tram stop before checking his texts.

_Tadashi  
Come in on Thursday at 3pm.  
Also tell me what time the café opens I need my donut fix  
\- Alice_

He chuckled as he typed out his reply. This summer was going to be fun.


	4. Chapter 4: Festival

I hope you all had an awesome holiday! You guys really made mine with the reviews and favorites! Thank you for everyone who's stuck around this far. I understand the first two chapters where slow but believe me, they where to explain and show what kind of character Alice was and to expand a little on how I would write Tadashi. This chapter is going to have a festival!  
Alice Lore is my original character from a pre-existing story.

* * *

The first week of summer was stressful for Tadashi, a lot more then he had anticipated. He passed all of his classes with flying colors (which he never doubted) but the work as an assistant was a lot more demanding then he thought. While tutoring the students who had fallen behind, he also had limbs to work on with Alice as well. She was slave driver when she wasn't stuffing her face with donuts. She had him running from the hospital to the university in the drop of a hat, lugging limbs with him. However, he enjoyed the extra pay and the coffee breaks. He and Alice spoke a lot about his progress with Baymax and their occasional private lives.

Tadashi woke up that morning to the sound of Aunt Cass opening the cafe, grabbing his phone to check the time. It was an early Saturday morning and he could hear Hiro's snoring from the other side of the screen partition. He went through his texts and found himself staring at the last text Alice had sent him three days ago.

"'Thank you for all your hard work, have a good summer.'" He read quietly to himself, lying back down with a sigh. He felt a little dejected, staring up at the ceiling. Maybe it was a good thing she stopped texting him. Then he could get over his crush. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but someone decided it would be a great time to text him. He tried to ignore it as he halfheartedly napped, pulling the covers over his head. He got what he would say another 20 minutes worth of sleep before he heard Aunt Cass call for him. With a groan, he hoisted himself out of bed and took his phone as he walked down the stairs, yawning as he reached the landing.

"Morning, Aunt Cass," He said, bee lining to the coffee marker. The wafting scent of the dark roast made he mouth drool as he poured himself a large cup.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Alice replied.

Tadashi turned around, dumbfound. There she was, standing at the top of the stairs in a pale green sundress that hugged her figure so well, it made him want to cry. So much for giving up on his crush, it came back to smack him in the face at full blow. She had a hand on her hip and an envelope in the other as she walked over to the table with a smile. "I'll take it as you haven't checked your phone yet. Nice sweatpants, by the way," She said, sitting down at the far end of the table. Tadashi looked down at himself. He was completely shirtless and ratty, grey sweatpants with the university's logo on the leg.

"No, I just woke up," He replied, spotting shirt hanging on the banister and grabbed it, quickly putting it on. "When did you get here?"

"Cass just let me in so I could give you this," She replied, tossing the envelope to him. He put his coffee down and opened it up. It had several bills inside, as well as a letter. "That's the last of your pay and a certificate saying you've completed my course."

"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to come, I could've come to the school," He smiled, sitting across from her.

"It's alright, I wanted to come," She said, sending a shiver of happiness up Tadashi's spine. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, trying not to sound too pleased.

"Where do you get good yukatas around here?" She asked. Tadashi thought for a moment. There was a festival going on that night by the university shrine. He had gotten one a few months back with Wasabi and Fred, while Honey and Gogo had gone elsewhere to get their own. "There's one north of the tram station. … You're going tonight?"

"Of course. Where I'm from, we don't get to do anything like this," She said with a laugh. "Ohh, I wonder what'll it'll be like…"

"You've never been to one?" He asked with a small grin.

"Is this turning into another one of those twenty questions games?" She asked playfully, earning a chuckle out of him.

"Yes, it is!" He laughed, sipping his coffee. "Well, it'll be a five question because I have other things to attend to," She replied. "Yes, I am going. Aren't you?"

"I'm going with Hiro and my friends," He said, giving her a subtle onceover, making sure his eyes weren't lingering anywhere they shouldn't be for too long. He did, however, stare a little at her right arm, which was again covered in silicone. "How did you lose your arm, actually?"

"I was fencing in Belgium and my opponent cut it off," She replied, looking so proud of herself. He rolled his eyes before changing his question. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-seven. I wish the liquor store would ID me more often, I feel like I'm looking old now," She said with a pout. "How old are you again? Twenty or something? " He nodded in reply. There was only a six year gap between them, but it felt like it was huge. She seemed like she was on a different level then him, somewhere he wouldn't reach.

"You got arrested for flipping off a cop? I can kind of see that," He grinned, earning a punch in the shoulder. "Do I have time for another question?"

"Yes, sorry. I need to get some things dealt with downtown. Go ahead," She said as she stood up, readjusting her dress. He watched her for a moment as she got herself together.

"Would you like to come with me to the festival?" He asked. Alice stood still for a moment, looking at him from over her shoulder. "You've never been to one before, I can show you around."

"… I'd love to," She said with a smile, blush dusting her cheeks. Tadashi felt himself go a little pink at the sight. With a wave, she escorted herself down the stairs and out of the house as he sat in the chair, getting redder by the second. As he sat there, Hiro had groggily made his way downstairs.

"Whuzza matter with you?" He yawned, shuffling to the kitchen.

"… I think I have a date tonight."  
-

It was just past ten and the festival was in full swing. Lanterns where lit from the university all the way up to the local shrine and music filled the air. The smells of sweets and barbecued meats practically dragged in customers as well as the game booths. Tadashi stood in front of a booth selling masks with Hiro and Fred, both of them try to decide on with one to buy. Gogo, Honey and Wasabi had gone to get food to share and while waiting, he had seen Professor Callaghan.

"Evening, Professor," He greeted with a handshake. "Come to join the festivities?"

"No, Mr. Hamada, I came to pick up a few things for my daughter," He said with a small chuckle, picking up a Yokai mask from the stand. "She couldn't come this year with her work at Krei Tech, so I thought I'd pick her up some souvenirs."

"I heard you finished your class with Professor Lore," Callaghan continued as he paid. "I overheard her in her office before I came; it sounded like she might be staying longer than planned."

"Really?" Tadashi inquired, handing Hiro a few dollars to pay for the mask.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Mr. Hamada. It sounded like a nasty phone call," He said with a sigh. "I better be off, don't want to waste your time."

Tadashi waved his goodbyes as Wasabi, Gogo and Honey returned with an arm load of treats for them, watching Callaghan disappear into the crowds. As they began stuffing their faces, Wasabi lead them over to a hillside where people where gathering and finding places to sit. He had sectioned off an area that he called prefect.

"Equal distance from the food stalls to the restrooms and not a tree or rock in sight," He said with pride. "What do you think? Perfect to see the fireworks."

"Yeah, but it doesn't start for another hour and a half," Gogo said, blowing a bubble. "You don't seriously expect us to sit here and wait until then."

"It's not like the festival is going to end once the fireworks are done," He retorted, earning an eye roll form her. "Ah, yes, it does."

"Gogo's got a point, Wasabi, we don't want to miss all the action," Tadashi added in. Wasabi sighed, taking a chocolate banana from Honey as they all began eating their stall foods. Tadashi looked back at the university as he ate some fried squid. He hadn't received any texts from Alice since he had seen her that morning. However, given what Callaghan had said, she may not even come at all.

"Oh! Once we're done, I saw a photo booth up the goldfish stand! Let's get some pictures taken!" Homey Lemon piped up as everyone finished up their food. "Everyone looks so nice in their yukatas!"

"Only if we do the shooting games afterwards," Gogo said pointedly. As everyone got up and walked towards the games, Tadashi felt a vibration come from his pocket. Pulling out his phone, it was text from Alice.

_I got caught up at the university. I'm by the booth with the masks.  
\- Alice_

Tadashi grinned, texting back before excusing himself from his friends.

"I'll meet you guys at the shooting games. Hiro, don't shoot the vendor this time," He said, handing Hiro some more money. "He cheated! I knocked over that tower far and square and he wouldn't give me the prize!" He replied with a frown. "This time, I'm getting my prizes."

"We'll keep an eye on him," Honey said with a smile. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to grab someone. I'll be back soon," He said, grinning. He waved to his friends as they walked off before he made his way through the crowds to the booth he was at before. He looked around the stall, but he didn't see her anywhere. A tap on the shoulder had him turn around.

"Looking for me?" Alice asked, coyly. She was dressed in a black and dark purple flowered yukata, her hair now done in up with braids with a matching purple hairpiece. Tadashi smiled, giving her a onceover.

"Not anymore," He said with a chuckle. "You look good, Alice."

"Thank you. Are your friends are here too?"She asked as they began walking away from the booth.

"Yeah, they're with my brother down this way," He said as they tried to make their way through the dense crowds. He glanced back every few minutes to make sure he hadn't lost her along the way. When he stopped again to look for his friends, he felt her reach out and take his hand. He looked at her with a bit of blush dusting his cheek.

"Now we're not getting separated," She smiled, holding their hands up. As they walked, Tadashi could hear his friends cheering from up ahead. Snaking their way through the crowd, Alice tried to pull her hand away. Tadashi looked back at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly as they reached the booth. Gogo and Hiro where shooting prizes left, right and center, faster than the vender could restock the galley as Wasabi, Honey and Fred cheered them on.

"You're making a killing out here," Tadashi laughed as the two ran out of pellets, to the vender's relief. "Still have some money left for the other games?"

"I've still got loads!" Hiro grinned as the vender handed him and Gogo large bags over flowing with knick knacks and toys. "Let's clean them out!"

"Who's this?" Gogo asked, snapping her gum as she stared at Alice. Tadashi and Alice quickly dropped hands as the group surrounded them.

"I'm Alice Lore. I'm a visiting professor at SFIT," Alice introduced, shaking everyone's hands but Fred, who had stepped back from them. Fred stared intensely at Alice, circling her like a hawk. She stood completely still, clearly unsettled. He stopped in front of her and leaned in close to her face, noses almost touching before moving back, a pondering hand on his chin.

"I know I've seen you before," He said, giving her a suspicious look. "Have you gone to Hanko Island?"

"Uh… I don't think I've been," She replied nervously. "Oh, Hiro! What did you get?" She attempted to dodge the question but Fred persisted.

"Are you suuure? You look a lot like someone I meet. Came to a dinner party with the medical big wigs, arrived with Madame De Cluse—"

"I said no!" She snapped, silencing everyone. She stepped back, looking at everyone, now shocked and possibly angry. "I'm sorry. It was nice meeting you all." She said, forcing a smile. "Enjoy the festival." With a turn of her heel, she disappeared into the crowd before anyone could stop her.

"She's rude," Gogo managed to say, misted the quiet. "There wasn't any need to yell."

"I don't like her, something is bugging me," Fred added in. "I know I know her."

"Look, why don't we go play some more games?" Honey suggested, receiving a round of nods. "We can get the photos done after."

As the group moved onto the next booth, Tadashi kept his eye out for any sign of Alice. He pulled out his phone in hopes for a text, but nothing. He turned the volume to max and sent out a quick text before turning his attention back to his brother.

_Please come back.  
\- Tadashi  
_-

By the time the fireworks where getting ready to go off, Hiro, Gogo and Fred had managed to completely clean out exactly four booths of all their prizes and now where trading and sorting gifts for everyone. Honey and Wasabi where going through all the photos they had taken in the booth and on her phone, while Tadashi had gone to get food and drinks. He hadn't heard anything from Alice since they parted ways. While he waited for his order to come up, he pulled out his phone again. Someone bumped his shoulder, making him drop it. As he went to grab it, someone reached out and picked it up for him. He stood back up as the person held the phone out to him.

"Here," It was Alice. Her face looked a bit puffy as she dropped the phone in his hand. "… I'm sorry."

"… What happened back there?" He asked, putting his phone away. "No more dodging this time."

"I do know Fred, but it was a different… me that he knows," She said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Your food's ready."

"Different how?" He asked again, taking the food from the stall vender.

"Tadashi, please. I'm not comfortable talking about this here," She said quietly as she followed him back to the hillside. He turned around, about to speak when she saw she was shaking. "… I promise, I'll tell you. Just… not here…" She said shakily.

"… At least explain it to Fred, that'll lighten the mood in the group," He replied softly, reaching out for her hand. She hesitated for a moment, before taking his hand as they walked down to the group. As they approached them, Wasabi turned to greet them.

"Hey man! It's going to start soo-… Hey, Alice," He said, surprised to see her again. Everyone perked up, turning around the face them.

"Fred, can I talk to you?" Alice asked, pointing to a secluded spot just behind them.

"… Yeah, why not?" He replied with a shrug as he got up and followed her away from the group.

"What does she want?" Gogo asked with a sneer.

"She just wants to apologize," Tadashi defended, handing everyone their food. Gogo rolled her eyes in reply as everyone ate. Tadashi glanced up back at the two, who were talking intensely. After a few minutes and a couple of yells from Fred, the two came back down.

"Is everything good now?" Honey asked as Fred sat beside her.

"Yeah, everything's awesome," He said with a small grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Alice stood beside Tadashi, making a big sigh.

"Good talk?" He asked with a small smile. She nodded in reply, looking out at the people. With a bang, the fireworks started. The crowd cheered as they got bigger and brighter. Tadashi looked around as his friends, everyone enjoying the show. Fred had moved down laying on Honey's lap, while Gogo and Hiro and Wasabi laid down on the glass to get a better look at the show. He looked back up at the sky as the colorful bursts lit up the hillside. He stiffed a little when he felt Alice rest her head on his shoulder, the two staying quiet until the end.

By the time to fireworks had ended, everyone was extremely exhausted. Wasabi drove Tadashi, Hiro and Alice to the café before driving off to drop off the rest of the sleeping crew in the back. Hiro said his goodbye and goodnights at the door as he slugged his way up to their room. Tadashi stood behind the counter in the café fixing his yukata while he waited for the coffee maker to finish as Alice sat at a table near the window.

Coming to back to the table with the freshly made coffee and donuts, he sat across from Alice and slid her a cup. She took it gratefully, holding it up to her face and took a big sniff of it before sipping the hot liquid. Tadashi watched her relax, his fingers drumming against his own cup and waited. Setting he cup down, Alice took out her phone and opened up her photos.

"Do you see anyone that looks familiar?" She asked, sliding it across the table. He took the phone and looked over the photo. It was of two young men, one he recognized as Fred but the other's face escaped him. He clicked to see the time stamp, which showed up as six years ago.

"Just Fred… Is there someone else I missed in the background?" He asked, sipping his coffee. She shook her head, picking her phone back up.

"No, there isn't," She said, fiddling with her phone strap. "… Are you sure you want to hear this?" She asked, looking up at him anxiously.

"I'm positive," He replied, gently placing his hand over hers. She cracked a small smile before taking a deep breath. He could see she was having trouble trying to place and word what she wanted to say. Finally, it all spilled out.

"I'm the other man in the photo."

Tadashi's hand didn't flinch or move, but squeezed her hand reassuringly.


	5. Chapter 5: Transition

Hope you all had a happy New Years!  
This week's chapter is going to be a bit shorter than normal, just with the content below. I didn't think it needed to be lengthy. Again, thank you for all of your reviews and I hope you all will support me in the chapters to come.  
Alice Lore is my original character from a pre-existing story.

* * *

Tadashi had to admit that seeing Alice stumble and look so unsure of herself was something he was not used to. The outspoken professor that knew her craft inside out was falling at the seams. He said nothing as he came back to the table with more coffee and donuts.

"It's better if I start at the beginning," She said after a long sip of coffee. "My given name was Alistor De Cluse. "

"De Cluse as in De Cluse Pharmaceuticals?" Tadashi asked between his donut, an eyebrow raised. The name was a practical household name. They had become a huge brand when the owner created a cost efficient medical treatment for cancer patients and brought more traditional medicine to the public. It was healthy, affordable and extremely profitable.

"Yes. That's the one," Alice continued, taking a bite of a donut. "I wasn't living the life I wanted... I was just trying to be normal. Worked in my mother's company, made a bit of a name for myself in medical world... But something changed."

Tadashi watched her become quiet, staring down into her cup, as though an answer was there at the bottom. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I made a break in creating a functional AI. It made me see that if I could create life, why shouldn't I take mine into my own hands?" She explained, looking up at him. "I did everything I could to make leeway into my transition but I knew I couldn't keep it from her forever."

"... It took months for me to tell her my decision and it took her a second to disown me. She threw me out the door without a word," She said sullenly, idly stirring her coffee. "I keep going over it in my mind, trying to think of how I could've made her understand."

"Maybe its better I don't have to deal with negative people like that anymore," She said, forcing a smile. "I've got a good life now." Tadashi felt anger well up inside him, but he did he best not to show his emotions until he saw her shoulders shake. He swiftly moved beside her, wrapped his arms around her gently and held her. They sat like that for a while, listening to the sounds of the cafe creak and relax.

"Thank you..." She said quietly, reaching up and touched his hand. "... Tadashi, look. It's been six years. I just didn't expect to see anyone from my past, let alone teach them!"

"It's alright," He said, trying to reassure her. "You don't have to explain yourself."

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I guess I won't tell you how I lost my arm," She said teasingly, turning her back to him.

"Wait, no! I take it back!" He said with a chuckle, turning her around to face him. As she tried to hide a giggle, he looked at her, taking her image in completely. He almost didn't believe what she told him. She became quiet after a moment, staring at him.

"... I understand if you feel dif-" She started before Tadashi cut her off, pulling her into a tight hug, holding her close. He could feel her freeze up, but he held onto her. He felt shivers shoot up as spine as he felt her arms wrap around his chest, touching him delicately before her grip became firmer. He pulled back carefully, looking at her warmly. They sat there, ignorant of the world around them as he leaned in, tenderly kissing her. He felt fireworks go off in his mind as she returned the kiss just as sweetly before they pulled back for a brief moment, gazing into the others eyes.

"Nothing is changing the way I feel," He said breathlessly, resting his forehead against hers. "You're still the woman I respect and..."

"I like you too, you nerd," She whispered, pecking him on the tip of his nose. It took everything in him not to swoop her up in his arm and kiss her again. She however, didn't hold back from leaning in and kissed him again. The two giggled like children as they pulled apart, Tadashi stroking her cheek as they did. From behind the counter they heard a meow, startling the both of them. Tadashi jumped up and dashed over to counter to see Mochi nuzzling his leg. Peeking around the corner into the house, he could see Aunt Cass walking down the steps.

Tadashi went over to the table and grabbed their empty mugs, bringing them back with him. As he filled them up, Aunt Cass came down into the café, yawning. "Tadashi, you're still up? Why are you down here?" Aunt Cass asked, looking around before spotting Alice. "Oh! Alice, when did you get here?"

"Just a little after the festival ended. Tadashi promised me some coffee before I head home," She smiled, lying through her teeth. Tadashi nodded in agreement as he brought her another fresh cup of steaming hot coffee. "I promise next time, I'll come when you're open."

"You'd better. Clean up when you're done, Mochi's been getting into coffee beans lately and oh! It's bad enough you and your brothers are full of energy…" She trailed off as she gave Tadashi a kiss on the cheek and waved to Alice. "You both have a good night."

"You too, Cass," Alice replied as she finished her coffee, watching her disappear into the inside of the house. "I think I'll take that as my cue to head home," She said, standing up. "I didn't know it had gotten so late."

"Already?" He asked, slowly standing up, looking back at the clock. "The last tram was an hour ago, how will you getting home?"

"Shit, it's_ that _late?" She grumbled, checking her phone. "I'll call a cab…" As she dialed up a taxi company, Tadashi took the time to clean up around the café. By the time he was finished, he could see the yellow headlights of a cab coming down the hill. He felt a small pang of disappointment how fast it showed up. However, he still escorted her to the door.

"Got everything?" He asked as she double checked her bag for everything. "I think I left my pride somewhere back at the festival," She said with a grin as she walked to the cab. As Tadashi held the door open for her, he gently stopped her before she got in, giving her a quick peek on the lips. She smiled and slid inside the cab, closing the door behind her. Tadashi stood back on the curb as the cab drove off down the road, before he went back into the café and locked up for the night.

The festival may not have gone as planned, but the rest of the night turned out better then expected.


	6. Chapter 6: Sleepless

Thank you guys for putting up with my terrible uploading problems. I had the old version of chapter six loaded to the site, before I had made changes to how Alice's transition story would come out. I was actually going to originally reveal her arm first, then her transition, however that was switched when I did some revising. If any of you read the original chapter I posted, you'll see some parts that haven't been changed.  
So again, I'm sorry for the confusion, here is the brand new, polished chapter of Upgrades.

* * *

Tadashi lay on his bed, staring up at the celling that night. Sleep never reached him and now he was feeling restless. He laid there, wondering about what would happen to them now. He tossed and turned for what seemed like the hundredth time as he went over what happened earlier that night.

It went too fast for him to process at times. It started off so well, introducing her to his friends, but it went south in a matter of seconds. Then when she was willing to speak to him again, she told him the truth about herself. The make matters even more complicated, he gave into his urges and kissed her. He felt a ball of nerves well up in his stomach as he played the scenes over and over in his mind. How could've this turned out better? Why did he do that? What's going to happen now?

"I can't believe myself..." He whispered, sitting up. "It's just happened so fast, I just..." As he sat there, he heard Hiro get up from across the room and walk over to his brother's screen door. "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah... What's going on?" He asked with a yawn, plopping himself down on Tadashi's bed. "You're being so loud."

"I'm sorry, Hiro. I'm just thinking," he apologized, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "What about?" He questioned, looking up at his brother, sleepily.

"Just with what happened tonight. ... I did know what I was getting into," He muttered, looking out the window. "I don't know why I'm feeling like this."

"Is it because Alice was a guy?" Hiro asked, as Tadashi froze, staring at his brother wide eyed. As he began to speak, Hiro cut him off. "I went to get a glass of water and Aunt Cass was listening by the stairs."

"So you joined in?! Hiro!" He scolded, frowning. "Why where you even doing that in the first place?"

"Cass just looked emotional, I didn't want toa leave her." He said as he laid down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't get why you're getting so worked up. She's a nice lady."

"Yes, but there's more to it than that..." Tadashi started with a groan, laying down beside Hiro. "You don't understand."

"What's so hard to understand?" Hiro questioned, sitting up to glare at his brother.

"I kissed her, Hiro." He stated, loud and clear. Hiro was silent as he looked at him before laying back down, slowly and quietly. They laid there in silence for a while, the only sound was of the others breathing. "That does make it a little complicated..." Hiro whispered after a moment, looking up at his brother. "What are you going to do?"

"... I'm not sure yet. She's my professor. If she wasn't... It would be easier," He mustered, feeling the nerves in his stomach loosen. "I mean, I like her enough and she trusts me enough to tell me…"

"I hear a 'but'," Hiro interjected, trying to bite back a yawn. Tadashi cracked a smile grin, resting his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but it is. I don't know what to say for once."

"… You know, maybe you don't have to say anything…" Hiro muttered, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Tadashi watched his brother sleep for a moment before tucking him into his bed. He was right; maybe he didn't actually need to say anything. Maybe he just had to show. As he wiggled into the now cramped bed, he pulled out his phone and set an alarm.

He was going to need to the right amount of sleep to work on this.

-  
Once the morning came, Tadashi expected to meet Alice at the café, but he had overslept his alarm. However, he found out later that morning that Mochi had smacked the snooze button while trying to find a comfortable spot between the tangled, sleeping mess of brothers. Fred had gotten an app for his phone that took a photo every time it was unlocked, so he even had a photo to prove it. He scrambled to get ready and dashed to the café, only to be told he had just missed her.

"She waited a lot longer than normal," Aunt Cass commented, side eyeing Tadashi as he readjusted his black v-neck. "Did something… happen last night?"

"I'll explain it all when I get back," He said, kissing his aunt's cheek before dashing out the door and into the garage. He hopped on his red moped and began he journey up to the university. He wanted to be quick as he could, he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Traffic thinned out as he approached the road to the university, slowing down once he reached the parking lot. He parks his bike close to the labs and made his way inside.

As he idly walked down the halls of the robotics lab, he found himself wandering towards the professor's labs. He could hear shuffling and talking in one of the rooms to his far left. As he approached, he peeked inside to see who it was. Inside was Alice, working on a hologram of what seemed to be a person.

"If his core overheats, it's going to need a central cooling system… But that's going to add to the weight…" She muttered to herself as she tapped a button on the hologram, zooming in to the chest. Tadashi watched as the hologram of the person shifted into a robotic chest and came apart in sections. They looked a lot like blueprints the way they were displayed. "We could readjust the… Who's there!?" She suddenly yelled as she smacked the table, the hologram disappearing. As she stood up, Tadashi stepped into the room, holding his hand up jokingly.

"You caught me," He said with a small grin as she sighed in relief, sitting back down at her desk. "Am I interrupting something?" She shook her head, gesturing for him to sit down. "Working in holograms?"

"They make it easier to edit major pieces… What are you doing here?" She asked, accusingly. She seemed overtired, bags under her eyes. She must've been up all night as well, by the looks of it. "Why aren't you out with your friends?"

"I wanted to…" He trailed, looking around her office. It was twice the size of his lab with a large round window looking out at the showcase building, that he found himself staring off at more than once. He felt like he was missing something important in there, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alice commented, looking off at the building. "That's where the science fair is held, right?"

"Yeah, I've been in a few times when I was in high school," He replied, holding his hands in his lap. "Never really had the chance to go last year, Hiro's high school graduation was around the same time."

"I expect to see you there this year," She said with a forced smile, turning her attention back to him. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I wanted to see you," He said as he watched her fiddle behind her desk, noticing how she froze when they met eyes. "About last night..."

"Yes…" She said, gently resting her hands on the desk. "… I assumed you didn't want to see me this morning."

"I overslept. Mochi can be thanked for that," He replied, showing her the screencap he had gotten of the cat. She cracked a small grin as he took a deep breath. "Alice… I really do like you and I wanted to tell you that this morning too. Thank you for telling me, it was… well, it was really brave of you."

"You really feel that way?" She asked quietly, as her knuckles became white. Reaching out, he gently placed his hand on top of hers. "Tadashi, look… I'm just..." She stopped as she looked into his eyes. Hiro was right; he didn't have to say anything. Just showing up and the simplest touch was enough. She sighed as she took his hand, squeezing it softly.

"… I'm going to need more time before anything else, okay?" She said quietly, looking down at their hands. "Just let me work at my own pace."

"I will," He replied with a tender smile, stroking her palm with his thumb. She smiled in return, standing up and leaned over, giving him a chaste peck on the cheek. He felt his cheeks go red as she sat back down, touching his cheek with his free hand to feel the heat.

"Just ask me before you want to do anything," She said with a smile. "I can't be your girlfriend yet, but I'll warm up to it.

"I'd like that," He smiled as they sat in silence, enjoying the others company. The silence was broken when Alice spoke.

"Let's get out of here."


	7. Chapter 7: Reunion

Hi everyone! Thanks for putting up with my mess-up earlier this week. I appreciate it! This week's chapter is short, but there will be another update soon. ... Short authors note, I don't have much to say. Share it with your friends, tell me what you think with how I'm portraying Alice, drop me a message.

Alice Lore is my character from a pre-existing story.

* * *

Alice was both pleasantly surprised and ticked off when the two approached The Lucky Cat Cafe. Tadashi helped her off the bike once they parked in the garage and he could feel her now suddenly tense. When they had driven by, Tadashi saw that his friends were inside.

"You know, this wasn't what I mean when I said lets get out of here" Alice said as they walked up to the door. As the approached the table, the four were listening to Fred ramble on about something. "I don't think they'll be singing my praises anytime soon..."

"Hey guys," Tadashi smiled, sliding in beside Gogo. "What did we miss?"

Before she could answer, Fred jumped to his feet and wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulders, pulling her over to the table and sitting her down next to him.

"See, this guy here used to come to the family island all the time. He was awesome at parties, you should've seen hi-" He started before Alice cut him off.

"Her. I'm a woman, Fred," She stated, her brown eyes staring him down harshly.

"Uh... Right, sorry. Anyways, she couldn't hold her liquor at all and the things we did! Oh, man I miss you guys could've seen it," He laughed, patting her shoulder. "Sorry about that, man."

"It's okay. Telling them about the glory days?" She asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, and about how you both were friends," Gogo added in, almost sarcasticly as she blow a bubble. "I'm not going to poke into anything, but what was your damage last night?"

"I'll make it simple. I didn't expect to see someone from before I transitioned and it freaked me out," Alice said, matter of fact. "... I'm going to give you all the next five minutes to ask any questions about this and then we're never talking about it again, okay?"

The conversation followed very similarly to how it had the night before. Tadashi listened as she gave them the brief overview of her story, leaving out the details of disownment and the events that followed after her and Tadashi's talk. Questions were asked, like how long it took before she knew what she wanted to do as well as medical questions about the surgery.

"It was painful, I'll give you that. Anything worth doing is going to give you that kind of stress though," She replied, eating one of many donuts Aunt Cass had brought over to them. "Okay, you get two more questions and we're off this topic."

"Okay. What's your preferred pronouns?" Honey asked with a small smile. "It would be nice so we know how to refer to you."

"Thank you, Honey. I'd prefer female pronouns, like she/her/hers," She replied, almost beaming from ear to ear. "Okay! Last question!"

"Are you dating Tadashi?" Gogo asked point blank, earning a look from everyone at the table, including Tadashi. "Everyone was thinking it, I'm saying it."

"... I wouldn't call it dating more then close relations," Alice replied after a moment, eating another donut. "He's been very supportive and sweet during my stay in San Fransoyko. Now it's my turn for questions. Do you... Generally approve me of possibly dating him?"

"Well, you're nice enough. I think we can deal having to share him five ways," Wasabi grinned, with a sip of his coffee. "Can't say the same for his aunt though, she might have a problem with her nephew dating his professor."

"He's not my student, he graduated my class," Alice added in before fighting Fred for the last donut. "Gimme that!"

"No, you ate ten of them already!" He yelled back, shoving the said treat into his mouth. "Wait, yer a puffessfer?" He said, parts of food flying out of his mouth. "That's awhsume! Yea know ahm also workin' at da school!"

"Ew, please stop talking," Gogo said, whacking his arm in disgust. Wasabi tossed a napkin at him as the others laughed. The six of them laughed and chatted for a while before being chased out by Aunt Cass. While Alice paid the bill, Wasabi brought around his car to the front, everyone piling in. Tadashi sat in the front with Wasabi while Honey, Fred, Gogo and Alice piled themselves into the back. There was a bit of silence when Alice offered for one of the girls to sit on her lap, but it was quickly filled when Fred took the spot.

"Where are we heading?" Tadashi asked as Wasabi drove. With a grin, he pulled onto the main road as he spoke.

"I was thinking the park. It's the cherry blossoms are almost gone, might as well see them while they're here," He replied as they drove.

"Oh! Let's grab some drinks too! It's not hanami without booze!" Fred pipped in. It was without a doubt going to be an interesting finale to the day.


	8. Chapter 8: Morning After

He thought he was going to puke. Tadashi's head spun as he opened his eyes, squinting at the light shining through the blinds. He tried to lift his head, but it felt like it weighted a thousand pounds. For a moment, he was terrified. The couch he had been sleeping on wasn't his and nothing looked familiar. He did put the pieces together when he spotted a photo of Wasabi and his family hanging on the wall.

He managed to sit up with difficulty, dry heaving for a minute. Resting his head in his hands, he just wanted the stirring pain in his head to stop. He stood up slowly and groggily walked to the window and shut the blind. Turning around, he tried to walk back to his seat until he tripped over something, landing face first into a pile of empty snack wrappers and beer cans. The noise made his head throb and he swore to himself, looking back at what he had tripped on. Fred laid in the ground, passed out and snoring. Tadashi looked around the room, spotting Wasabi sprawled out on the couch, sound asleep and holding a vase like his life depended on it. Rubbing his eyes, Tadashi tried to out together what had happened that day.

It was spotty and blurred, but from what he could remember, the six of them had gone to Wasabi's place at one point and drank even more. After that was a complete blank for him.

"Where's my phone?" He groaned, patting around his thigh for it. He laid there for a second, dumbfound. He wasn't wearing his pants. Looking down, he sighed in relief to see that his red boxers were still on. Again, a wave of terror flew over him.

"Shit, where are my pants?" He said, now looking around for them. In fact, he was missing a lot of stuff. His bag, hat, pants and cell had all gone to play hide-and-seek with the hungover man.

His search, however, was put on hold when he felt pile rise in his throat and scrambling to his feet. Dashing as quick as he could to the bathroom, he emptied the contents of his stomach into the ceramic bowl, coughing and hacking as he did. He felt even worse as he hugged the bowl, whimpering as he felt around for some toilet paper to wipe his face with. He grabbed the whole roll, ripping an overly generous piece before he began heaving again into the bowl. Once he was finished, he wiped his mouth throughly and reached up to flush until something caught his eye. The toliet had googly eyes and on top of it was his hat. He reached up and grabbed it, checking it for unwanted contents before putting it back on as he stood.

"That's one down..." He said as he washed his hands and face in the sink. "What the hell was it doing in here?"

He wandered out into the hallway, still feeling dizzy. He could hear shuffling in room across from him and he peeked in. Inside was Gogo and Honey Lemon asleep and half naked, only wearing their bras and panties in the bed. Alice was sprawled across the end of the bed, dressed just as scantly as the others. He felt his face go red and shut the door with one quick motion. Seeing three women like that so early in the morning was not good for his blood pressure or his libido. Quietly walking back into the living room, he took a better look around the apartment.

It was a mess, to say the least. Clothing tossed about everywhere, food and beer cans all over the floor and for some reason, there was googly eyes on just about everything. He shook his head as he dragged himself to the fridge, opening it up to start work on a hangover remedy. As the bottle of tomato juice stared back at him with its crossed eyes, Tadashi also found his keys hiding in the egg carton.

"... Okay, still three more to go," he muttered as he pulled out the ingredients to make the remedy. "Seriously, what the hell did we do last night?"

"I dunno, but it's never happening again..." He heard Wasabi reply from the couch. He whined when he saw the mess his apartment was in, covering his face with his hands. "I just remember our video game became a strip one..." That explained why pretty much everyone was lacking in clothing. "You don't happen to remember where the clothes went, right?" He asked, mixing the tomato juice with a dash of hot sauce.

"They're in my room, I think," Wasbai replied with a groan. "Oh god, everything hurts..."

"Drink some of this, it'll help," he said before adding a shot of tequila to the drink, handing it to Wasabi.

Turning around slowly, he dragged himself back towards the bedroom. The door was completely open now and Gogo and Honey where covered in a blanket. He quietly walked into the room and found the pile of clothing, digging through it. He did manage to find his phone, but again, no pants to be found. As he stood up, he felt his stomach churn. Dropping both the phone and his hat, he drafted back to the bathroom and launched himself back to the bowl, emptying his stomach again. He whimpered a little as he heaved, he just wanted it all to stop.

"Shh, shh... It's okay, just let it all out..." He felt a cool hand gently rub his back, his eye sight blurry again from emptying his stomach again. He felt the same hand tilt his face upwards and wipe him clean as his eyes adjusted. Alice faintly smiled back at him, stroking his hair. "You're a mess, Tadashi." She was on her knees beside him with her hair pulled over her should in a braid, wearing a black, lacy bralette that was hugging her chest so nicely and jeans that looked too big to be hers. ... In fact, they looked like his.

"... Are you wearing my pants?" He asked, wiping his mouth again with more toilet paper. She shrugged, standing up. "It would explain why they're a bit loose... Hold on," She replied, turning around as she unzipped them, letting them drop to the floor. Tadashi's eyes were drawn up to her back and he could feel his pupils shrink at what he saw.

Tadashi couldn't believe the sheer amount of scarring that covered her back and upper shoulder as she stood. The skin had become discolored and jagged, spiraling down her entire spine to her tailbone. It looked as though she had been ripped apart. He could see how much it hurt with just how the skin healed around the metal implant. Looking over her shoulder, she quickly averted her gaze and silently left the room. Tadashi could only watch from his spot in front of the toilet as he began to heave again. She came back a couple of minutes later with her own jeans on, still without a shirt and kneeled back down beside him, placing a cold, damp face cloth on the back of his neck as he puked.

"... I was in college, working on an assignment with my professor. Some asshole thought it would be funny to throw a homemade bomb at the tranny," She said through gritted teeth. "The pain was agonizing. It burned, it stung and it tore right through me. ... Then it all went away."

There it was. The truth behind it all. Tadashi wanted to speak, but bile rose in his throat and again, he sat there hugging the bowl and he emptied his guts. The cool hand on his back helped him, but he became groggy after a while. As he drifted in and out, he felt himself being picked up and carried somewhere soft and warm, then fell asleep against something soft and cold. When he woke back up, the apartment was still a complete mess and Honey was in the kitchen, finishing up her own hangover remedy for everyone. As she walked into the living room, wearing what looked like a housecoat that was ten times too big for her, he rubbed his throbbing head and croaking as he spoke.

"Hey... Do you remember what happened last night?" He asked as Honey handed Fred and Gogo some foul smelling brown concoction.

"Wasabi took us to his place and we drank a lot. Oh! Fred and you played Smash Bros, then we all got in when it was strip game... I think we ordered food too."

"Okay... What was the toilet wearing my hat and googly-eyes?" He asked, taking the glass of water she offered.

"I wanted everyone to have a puking buddy," She said with a giggle, looking around the room. "It looks like I covered everything, though."

He let out a small grin as he drank, the cool liquid feeling so refreshing. Leaning back in the couch, he saw Alice walk over to the couch with his bag in her hand, plopping it down on the coffee table. "Your pants are still in the washroom," She said with a small smile, sitting down beside him. "Feeling better?"

"A little bit," He replied, finishing the glass. She placed her hand on his forehead, cool to the touch. He leaned into it, it felt so nice against his hot skin. "Well, you're not as warm as before... It's a start," She said, pulling her hand away. In a flash, he grabbed her by the waist and sat her down in his lap, resting his head against her shoulder. Wrapping his arms loosely around her, he sighed as the chilled body numbed the headache, closing his eyes. He felt her run her fingers through his hair, leaning in to whisper. He couldn't make it out over the pounding in his head. He could hear the whine of the TV as he could assume Fred started gaming again. What lulled him to sleep was the steady heart beat and cool touch of the woman he had in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9: Sunset

Like with every chapter, thank you for all your support and follows, I really appreciate it. Today's update is going to be a short one, then we're back to the main plot. Enjoy the fluff and stuff.

Alice Lore is an original character from a pre-existing story.

* * *

When everyone's pounding hangovers subsided, the six of them had become stir crazy. Honey and Wasabi had cleaned the apartment throughout the day and it wasnow in perfect shape. ... Aside from a new hole in the wall, which Fred covered with a photograph. He and Gogo had been sent out on a food run while the apartment was cleaned, returning with fast food and anti-nausea medication for Tadashi. He had thrown up again since his nap on the couch, which had everyone worried. However, after getting food and medicine for him, he gradually got better.

Tadashi and Alice had migrated out onto the balcony, where he was sound asleep on her lap. She idly brushed the hair from his face, the tips of her fingers tickling him. The sensation woke him, blinking away the sleep before he looked up at her. She was humming a tune quietly as she looked out at the bay, seeming to be lost in thought. He closed his eyes when she hadn't noticed his awakening and listened to the song.

"Up here in the cold thin air I finally can breathe.

I know I left a life behind but I'm too relieved to grieve..." She sang quietly under her breath, sighing as the words hung in the air. He looked up at her as she started humming again and stayed still until her song was over. She glanced over at him, gasping a little and smiled at him.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked, carefully poking his nose. He wiggled around as he stretched, moving further into her lap. "Just now," He replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Nice song," He added with a grin, earning a light smack on the chest.

"I happen to identify with that song, thank you," She said with a giggle, pulling her loosely braided hair over her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," He said with a lazy smile, relaxing as she began to massage his shoulders. "I actually had an idea while I was sleeping."

"Oh? What's that?" She asked, rubbing his neck.

"I'm thinking of programming Baymax to act drunk when he's got low battery," He said with a chuckle. He could see it now, the drunken nurse bot stumbling about the hall and entraining the patients as he got to his port. Alice chortled loudly, stopping the massage as she spoke from laughter.

"Seriously? Oh my god, please do that!" She said between giggles, before she collected herself and went back to massaging his shoulders. "When do you think he'll be finished, exactly?"

"Soon, I hope," He admitted, purring as she hit the sweet spot, all of the tension from his neck melting away. "Ohhh yes god that's the spot..."

"Dude, that's wrong on so many levels," Wasbai said, as he slid the balcony door open bringing out a large plate of food. "Do not get nasty on my patio."

"So can we get nasty in your apartment?" Gogo asked, smacking his rear as her, Fred and Honey came outside, hands full of food and drinks. He yelped, glaring at them before they burst into laughter, putting the food down on the table, everyone taking seats on the ground. Tadashi sat up groggily, yawning as Fred handed him a ginger ale.

"Thanks," He replied, sipping the drink. "What's for dinner?"

"Wasabi made his special sushi rolls," Honey said with a bright smile, snapping pictures of the spread on the table. "Ohh! They look so good!"

"There's more in the kitchen too," Wasabi replied with pride, puffing out his chest as he served everyone. "Glad to see you in the land of the living, Tadashi."

"Yeah, me too..." He chuckled, taking his share of the food. "It felt touch and go there."

"Your friends took good care of you," Alice added, stuffing her face with sushi. "Dey wouddnt let meh heph!"

"You're just as gross as Fred," Gogo said with a smirk, sipping her drink. "Hey, check it out."

As the group looked out over the balcony, the sun had begun to set over the bay. The sky faded from a pale yellow to pink to a purple, bleeding into the ocean and breaking the boundary between sky and sea. The kites from the city where covered in the fading light, the faint sounds of the life below drifting up to meet their ears. They sat there, taking in the sight and the breeze off the sea. It was a thought time had slowed down for them.

Tadashi gazed over to Alice, smiling at how radiantly her arm shone in the sun, as though the colors were trapped inside the metal. Before he knew it, her alluring brown eyes had shifted to him. He leaned in, stealing a kiss before turning his attention back to the scenery, waiting for his smack.

He was pleased when she rested her head on his shoulder, whispering to him. "Here I stand and here I'll stay..." She whispered with a faint smile. He looked down to her, closing his eyes as he leaned in again.

He didn't enjoy the sharp whack to his stomach he received when he claimed his kiss.


	10. Chapter 10: The First Test

We're at the midway point! Yay!

Alright, we're also at the point where another character from Alice's story comes in. Not to worry, there's not going to be anything like a sudden new romantic interest, but rather a family member.

Alice Lore is my original character from a pre-existing story.

* * *

The remaining month and a half of summer wrapped up quickly and soon it was the start of the new year at SFIT. Tadashi divided it up equaling working at the Cafe, mothering and getting Hiro out of trouble and hanging out with his friends. Today, he was especially proud of himself. He had completed Baymax.

Well, almost. He still had to test him to make sure he worked, but he had high hopes.

He turned on Baymax's eye camera as he held up the test broad with a huge grin.

"Alright, this is the first test of my robotics project," He smiled as he flipped a switch on the side of Baymax's head.

"Hello, I am Bay-" He started before letting out an ear pirceing whine, making Tadashi cringe and cover his ears.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Tadashi yelled, waving his hands and he fumbled to the off switch, turning to shield his ears from the terrible noise. It took a couple of tries but he managed to shut both the camera and the sound off.

Well, at least he knew what he had to fix. He rubbed his neck as he turned back to his desk, looking through his tool kit to work on Baymax's voice box. The table vibrated for a quick second and he looked look to his phone. He had gotten a text and he could read the name from the angle.

It was Alice. She had disappeared after he brought her to the trolley stop, the day of his nasty hangover. She hadn't come to school or the cafe, nor the hospital. In fact, she hadn't had contact with anyone. It was as thought she had dropped off the face of the earth. He had tried to call her phone to meet up for a date, but even the line didn't connect. He had his concerns, but he honestly didn't have the time to check into it, even more so when Fred claimed he was receiving texts from her daily. It made him a tad bit jealous. Picking up the phone, he checked the text.

_Arrived back in town an hour ago, will be coming to the university._  
_\- Alice_

He stared at his phone disbelievingly. She had completely left the country! He shut off his phone with an irritated smack, walking out of his lab. He wasn't going to be in the right set of mind to work on Baymax, so he went to get some fresh air, to help him cool off. He strutted out into the large garden in front of the labs, plopping himself down on one the the benches. He let out a loud sigh, resting his head on his hand. He knew it, he was in too deep with Alice and he didn't enjoy feeling like this. He glanced up at the lab, closing his eyes for a moment before turning his attention to the professors offices. He sat up when he saw movement in Alice's office, getting up. He decided he should give her a piece of his mind.

After all, they were dating and she left the country without a word.

He made his way to the office at a quick pace, going over in his head how he would talk to her about it. Stopping at the door, he took a deep breath and opened it.

"You finally show up after..." He started, trailing off.

He stood in the doorway, staring at her as she turned and faced him. She had a swollen black cheek and seemed to walk and move very carefully. She forced a smile as she tried to walk over to him. He rushed over to her side, helping her sit in her chair, earning a sharp hiss from her as she sat. She didn't look good at all. He stood by the chair, looking at her concerned.

"What happened to you?" He asked, watching her rub her side.

"I got a warm welcome home," She replied through a grunt, trying to relax in the chair. "The old woman's got a great batting arm on her..."

"She attacked you? Wait, why were you-" Tadashi began to ask until she held up her hand, signaling him to stop.

"San Fransokyo honestly is my home. I just thought it would be wrong to not bring him with me," She said, gesturing to the window in the room.

Tadashi looked over, squinting at the shadow to see what was there. Taking a few steps forward, he could see the outline of a body. As he got closer, he did his best not to wake who was sleeping soundly on top of sill. It was a Native American man, about the same age as Alice, dressed in skinny jeans and a green hoodie. His short brown hair was messy and peaked out from under the hood as he silently slept. Leaning over, Tadashi gave him a once over. He looked a lot like Alice. In fact... His features mirrored hers identically.

"You never mentioned having siblings," Tadashi said as he walked back over to her, leaving the man to sleep undisputed. She smiled back at him, pulling a compact mirror out of her pocket, checking her swollen cheek.

"I don't. He's an android. Ohh... That's looking nasty..." She said with a cringe, inspecting herself in the mirror.

"Oh, okay. ... Hold on, what?" Tadashi asked in disbelief, staring at her as though she was insane. "He's an AI? And he works?"

"Yes. It's a bit of a long story though," Alice started, putting the mirror down on the desk, gesturing for him to sit opposite to her. "I did a lot of research on AI's for medical purposes when I was younger and with a team over the course of ten years, we managed to build a successful prototype. However, he was taken from us during a lawsuit."

"I'll take it that it was De Cluse Pharmaceuticals that took him?" He asked, remembering that was the company she once was inherited for. "I remember you saying you made a break in creating one when you left your old life."

"Dr. Lundi worked for De Cluse at the time and helped collaborate on the completion, but after the accident, we had the drop it for our own medical needs," She replied, rubbing her robotic shoulder. "We couldn't face a lawsuit and the medical charges, so we let them take him. ... The past few months here made me realize I couldn't just leave him there. The way you play and teach your brother made me want that..." She continued, looking out at the sleeping man in the window.

"... So you went to bring him back," He finished, looking at her.

"When I left him, he was just a doll. He didn't have any features, no personality, nothing. He could function to a point but... I guess Madame De Cluse is the genius. I was so shocked when I came up to the door and I was greeted by myself!" She said with a small laugh, whining as she clutched her ribs. "She made him to be the son I stopped being... Ohh, hurts... She even programmed him to attack."

"So... He...?" He trailed off, hoping she would answer the question.

"She punched me, he featured two ribs," She said, leaning back carefully. "... She didn't fight when I came back to claim him. She just... Handed him over. I paid her the lump sum for the damages my accident caused, plus agreed to take over Mr. Lundi's medical care indefinitely. I hoped to be back here in a week but she kept refusing to see me. I just got him two days ago!"

"In the end, you were stuck there for a while. Why where you only texting Fred? We're you broke?" He asked with a small grin.

"Yes and no. His father has a private jet and it would make it easier to bring Alistor here like that rather then shove him in a suitcase," She replied with a smile.

"You're calling him Alistor?" He asked with a chuckle. "Aren't you vain..."

"He's got my cute face and rocking body, might as well keep the name too!" She chortled, wincing slightly.

"Sure, sure..." Tadashi laughed, reaching out and gently took her hand. She squeezed it softly, smiling. "I missed you."

"I missed you two, nerd," She replied quietly, leaning over and giving a peck on the cheek. "How's Baymax coming?"

"His first test was today and he had voice box trouble. Other then that, I think he'll be ready for the public soon," He said with pride. Baymax had only showed that one problem, there couldn't be anymore hiding.

"I'd offer to disassemble Alistor so you can see how he works if you needed help, but I'll be honest... I don't even know how he's functioning so well. I built the mainframe and codes, someone else did the rest of the hard work," She said, watching Alistor admiringly. "Do me a favor?"

"What is it?" He asked, looking at her.

"Keep his... Robotic origins from the others. I told Fred he's my cousin so..." She asked, rubbing her neck, side glancing up to him. "I'd like it if he got to experience a normal life for a bit."

"... Of course," Tadashi replied with a smile, kissing her cheek. "Is there anything I should know about him before he wakes up?"

"We share the same personality so... He might have some of the same tastes when it comes to... People," She said, pointedly looking at him.

Tadashi immediately regretted his decision. One Alice was great, but two? If Hiro wasn't going to be the death of him, the two Lore's would be.


	11. Chapter 11: Home

Shorter update this weekend, had to work a double shift.

Alice and Alistor Lore are characters from a pre-existing story.

* * *

"Damn, I'd like to order me some of that," Alistor said with a grin, giving Wasabi the eye as he walked over to the table with coffees in hand. Alice held her head in her hands, visibly sighing as Wasabi awkwardly laughed the comment off, sitting down by Tadashi.

Alice had brought Alistor to the cafe to introduce him to the family when Wasabi popped by. Aunt Cass adored him and Hiro tried to take Alistor apart the second he was told that he was an android. Tadashi found it was hilarious to watch the robot run from a thirteen year old with a wrench. He had only been successful with dismantling Alistor's arm, who turned into a sobbing mess on the floor that Alice cleaned up. Once his arm was reattached and he was cleaned up, he and Hiro got along pretty well.

"Tell me, handsome, whatcha studying?" Alistor asked coyly as he propped his elbow up on the table, resting his chin on his palm. Wasabi was clearly flustered as he did his best to reply.

"I'm... Uh... I'm working with plasmas..." He said nervously, watching Alistor with a wary eye. "Lasers are something else I specialize in as well..."

"Oh! You know, I'd love to see what you're working on~" He replied with a come hither smile. Tadashi eyed Alice, wondering if she had one of those in her arsenal of charms. By the time they had finished their coffees, Alistor had kicked Tadashi out of his seat and snuggled up to beefy man.

"You're an embarrassment and I can't even believe I'm related to you," Alice dead panned, staring intently at the android, who merely smiled in reply. "Could you please control yourself?"

"How could I hold back from such a beefcake?" He swooned, wrapping his arms around Wasabi's, who was now redder then ever. Alice only rolled her eyes in response as the four of them paid their bills, leaving the cafe. Alice was ready to tell him off when Alistor pulled Wasabi away from the group, insisting he and Wasabi get to know each other better. Before she could, the poor man was dragged off by the extremely forward android down the street.

Alice complained as the two boarded the tram, labeling off reasons she shouldn't have let Alistor wander off and how he was going to be in trouble when he got home. Tadashi couldn't help but laugh at her.

"What's so funny?" She asked with a frown.

"You're acting like me," He said with a grin. "I'm the exact same way with Hiro."

"Either way, he's getting a hell of a talking to when he gets home," She said, leaning against the tram window, watching as they slowly when over the street's hill, rounding a corner. "He's got a lot to learn if he's going to be living around here. I didn't pull strings at the hospital for nothing."

"He's Mr. Lundi's nurse now, isn't he?" Tadashi asked, watching the people pass by as the tram drove on. "He's been getting a hell of a verbal beating from him. Cut him some slack."

"Now you're on his side?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. He chuckled in response.

"You're always on Hiro's side, why can't be on the other?" He replied with a grin. She rolled her eyes as she reached up and rang the bell for her stop.

"You're lucky you're cute," She said, standing up as the tram came to a stop. "Come on, my place is this way."

As the two stepped off the tram and onto the street, Alice hissed as she clutched her ribcage, holding onto Tadashi's shoulder to steady herself. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, keeping her steady until she caught her breath. She patted his chest, signaling she was alright and the two continued down to a small house on the corner. It was a traditional Japanese house, looking as though it had seen better days. Pulling her keys out, Alice unlocked the door and let Tadashi in. As she walked inside, he looked around the entryway.

"Make yourself at home, Tadashi. I just need to change into something less... Ouch... Constructive..." She said with groan, rubbing her side. "I need bigger clothes..." She muttered as she turned down the hall into a room.

The home smelt of cinnamon as he stepped inside, slipping off his shoes as he wandered into the living room. Sliding the paper doors, he looked around the large room in awe. White fabric hung from the walls and were draped around the room, flowing gently as he slid the door to the backyard open and let the breeze in. The garden outside was small with few flowers and a small cherry tree, it's petals lining the garden and wooden porch. There were large colored pillows set all around a small black coffee table, off setting the white linen hanging above. He sat down on one of the many pillows by the table as he looked around, admiring the view.

Alice returned a few minutes later, dresses in a long linen tunic, sitting herself down carefully beside him, leaning against him as she did. Tadashi couldn't help but peak at her bare chest that peaked from the slits in the dress, blush dusting his cheeks. The dress was almost see through and left nothing to the imagination, but he kept himself in check, looking out at the garden as they sat enjoying the other's company. He felt her arm snake around his waist and pull him down, lying down among the pillows as he carefully pulled her closer.

"Happy to be home?" Tadashi asked with a smile, adjusting one of the pillows under his head.

"Yes. ... I didn't realize how empty my house felt until I came home," She replied, idling playing with his cardigan. "It feels more like home with Alistor here, even if he's being a total shit."

"Awh, don't be like that," He chuckled. "At least you made some leeway with him. Baymax slapped me this morning."

"Ohh... Still buggy?" She asked with a wince, readjusting herself. "What does that make this?"

"The fifth test. I'm not giving up on him, I'm almost sure I know what's causing the malfunction," He replied. "His cerebral core is overworking itself, so it's impairing the codes for movement."

"Oh baby, I love it when you talk like that~" Alice said with a chuckle, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tell me more." She whispered between kisses.

"The sensory feedback has some disruption from prior work," He continued seductively, trying to hold back his laughter. "Some thorough investigations will need to be made."

"Oh! You really know how to get a girl going!" She gasped, before she snorted and the two burst into a fit a laughter. Carefully wrapping his arms under her, he rolled her on top of him. Smiling, he took his hat off and put it on her with a chuckle.

"Welcome home, love," He whispered, stroking her cheek. She leaned in to his hand, closing her eyes.

"It's good to be home," She whispered in reply. She leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss, showering him with several of them as they laid their in each others arms. He returned the kisses just as sweet, feeling her warmth against his chest as they tumbled into the abyss of colored cushions around them.

The two fell asleep to the sounds of the wind in the leaves, not even stirring to the sound of footsteps in the doorway.


	12. Chapter 12: Stolen

Alice woke up to the sound of rustling coming from the distance. The room was now becoming dark, the only light was from the setting sun outside, shining through the open porch door. Yawning, she untangled herself from Tadashi and carefully sat up. Missing the warmth, Tadashi stirred, peaking up at her from under his hat.

"What's wrong?" He asked, rolling onto his back to look at her better. The fading light threw its colors onto her tunic and the fabric from the ceilings, making her look surreal.

"I think Alistor's home," She smiled as she leaned over and kissed his nose. "I'll be back in a second."

As she stood up slowly and made her way out of the room, Tadashi watched her go as he sat up, stretching. The door at the end of the hall was ajar, not like it had been before their nap. She stood still for a moment, stretching before she walked into the room.

"Alistor, I told you before. My office is off..." He heard her start, the sound of wood clattering against the floor silencing her. If he hadn't been listening, he almost wouldn't have heard her muffled scream. Tadashi leapt to his feet, dashing into the room.

A man dressed in black and a yokai mask was trying to subdue Alice as she fought back, trying the grab something from in his coat. He covered her mouth with his gloved hand and held her hostage, glaring at Tadashi as he entered the room. Alice struggled to get free from his grasp, reaching out from something to hit him with. Tadashi flew at the man, punching him hard in the face and kicked him off Alice, grabbing his jacket to punch him again. Yokai threw a hard right, knocking him back and let go of his jacket. As he made a run for the window, Alice tackled him to the ground, trying the rip off his jacket. Almost as though he knew, he punched her solidly in the ribcage and threw her off him, leaving her in a shaking mess on the floor. Tadashi stood in front of the window, enraged. Before he could move, Yokai kicked him in the chest and landed a solid blow to his face until Tadashi decked him hard in the face, sending his mask flying. The blow to his head made him dazed and he sank to his knees, trying to regain his senses. Yokai shoved him out of the way, throwing him down on the ground by Alice and stood glaring at him from the window, before putting his mask back on and disappearing into the darkness of the evening.

Tadashi swore as he crawled over to Alice, who had curled into a ball and whimpered in pain. He could feel blood dripping down his face and forced himself to stand up, grabbing the phone from the desk before he collapsed down beside her, dialing for help. He tried to coax Alice to unfurl as he told the operator where they were, trying to assess the damage he had done to them.

"He t-took it..." Alice coughed in pain, wiping tears from her eyes. "That b-bastard took it..."

"Don't talk, Alice. Just stay still..." He said, trying to calm her down as she shook. "The police will be here soon, just hold on..."

"Okay, let me get this straight. A man in a kabuki mask attacked you?" The policeman asked Tadashi, who was sitting bandaged up on the steps of the house, covered in a blanket. Police were searching the house, blocking of the crime scene as medics assessed Tadashi and Alice's injuries.

"Yes, officer," He replied, beginning to get annoyed. The officer didn't believe him one bit about Yokai, but believed that they were attacked. He glanced over at the ambulance, watching as the medical technicians worked on Alice, bandaging her ribs. He turned his attention back to the officer as he spoke again.

"So Mr. Kabuki broke in through the front door and robbed your office," He droned on, writing notes down on his pad. "What did he take?"

"I... I don't know, I don't live here," Tadashi said, looking over at the ambulance, the officer matching his gaze. "I know he took something. She just kept repeating it and repeating it."

"I'll get to that with her then. Last thing, young man. You said you knocked off his mask during the fight. Remember what he looked like?" The officer asked, watching Tadashi questioningly.

He swore the man was Callaghan but... It couldn't be. It couldn't. The man treated Tadashi like his son and respected Alice, why would he rob her? It didn't make sense. He shook his head, looking down at the ground. The officer shrugged as he finished his report, walking over to Alice, questioning her. One of the medics walked over to him, placing their hand on his shoulder.

"She's in bad shape, but you both could've been more seriously hurt," The medic said as Tadashi stood up, walking with him to the ambulance. "We'll need you both to come to the hospital tomorrow for observation. That blow to the head may have done some damage. Do you two have a place to stay?"

"... Yeah, we do," He replied, glancing back at the house. Even with the locksmith fixing the door and the police patrolling the area, it would be better to stay somewhere else for the night. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing for a cab as the medics helped Alice out of the ambulance, wrapping her in a blanket.

"-me. He put the blueprints in his coat," She said with a frown, wrapping the blanket tighter around her. "He knew were to look, I had them hidden."

"Don't you worry, we'll catch Mr. Kabuki," The officer assured before he left the two, walking back to the house.

As a cab rolled up to the corner, the ambulance had left and the door had been fixed. Alice left the house with a small bag, talking to the officers as she walked over to the car. Saying their goodbyes, the two slid into the cab and drove off down the street. They watched the house disappear behind them, staying silent in the car. Alice held Tadashi's hand tightly, slightly shaking. Minutes later, the arrived at The Lucky Cat Cafe and got out, paying the cabbie before he drove off. Within seconds, Tadashi scooped Alice up in his arms, holding her close as she clung to him.

"You can stay as long as you want," He said after they pulled apart, leading her up to the house. "Alistor's welcome too. ... Wait, does he...?"

"He texted me, saying he was staying over at Wasabi's," She replied with a sigh, carefully walking up the stars to the living room. "Ugh... God, these are killing me..." She hissed as she rubbed her ribs, sitting down on the couch. "I need a breather..."

"... Alice, what did he take?" Tadashi asked as he sat beside her, looking at her. She closed her eyes, holding her head in her hands. He strained to hear her as she muttered.

"... He took Alistor's blueprints."


	13. Chapter 12,5: Midnight Concerns

Pretty sure everyone saw the Callaghan bit coming, I couldn't help myself. Filler chapter today! Again, thank you to all of you for the favorites and reviews. It means a lot to me.

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While Tadashi slept that night, he thought over what Alice had explained to him.

"The prints aren't worth anything. In fact, the ones that are gone are the mainframe for his heart. I wanted him to mimic a beating heart but there where issues with it," She explained, tapping a button on her arm and pulled up a holographic version of Alistor.

"Like... What?" He asked, watching the hologram. The holographic Alistor had his chest open, exposing the wiring and the software inside him. She pulled up the heart on her hologram, showing Tadashi the piece of metallic organ.

"It's basically a bomb. The pumping of oils and the gears turning, if anything was to go wrong, he'd burst," She finished, showing a simulation of Alistor's heart malfunctioning. The chest cavity was destroyed, but the damage was kept to a minimum.

"It's not powerful then," He said as she shut the hologram down.

"At most, it's a fire starter. It just sparks and blows," Alice said, anxiously tapping her fingers on her metal arm. "If there was enough of them, they could bring down a building, but it takes time to make..."

"Alice, it's going to be okay..." He reassured, patting her back, but he knew it would do little for her nerves. He kissed her cheek sweetly before he stood up and walked to the kitchen, starting the coffee maker.

"Thank you..." He heard her say from behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist as she rested her head on his back. He gently place his hand over hers, leaning over his shoulder and gave her a chaste kiss, earning a smile from her. He turned around in her arms, wrapping his arms around her neck as they kissed again, pulling the other closer. The kiss became deeper as their hands began to wander, Alice unbuttoning his cardigan. Tadashi's hand began to slip under her tunic, exposing her shoulders...

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The two pulled apart quickly as the timer went off, the both of them readjusting themselves, flustered at what just happened. Tadashi cleared his throat, a dark blush on his face as he handed Alice a cup of the hot coffee, who accepted it and distanced herself from him, her face as red as his.

After the two had drank some coffee and did their best to relax, Alice called Alistor's cell before she made herself comfy on the couch. Tadashi offered his bed, but when both of them began to turn red, he quickly restated himself and got her some blankets and pillows for giving her an awkward kiss good night. Sleep didn't come to him for a while and when it did, it was only of the robbery and Callaghan.

But... It couldn't be him.


	14. Chapter 13: Baymax Testing

Another short chapter this week! Thank you for all the favorites this week! You guys are such sweeties.

Since Feburary is my birthday month, I'm opening up some requests. If you have a scene or something you'd like to see in an upcoming chapter of Upgrades, tell me in a comment!

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"- And as you can see here, the nano compass installed has the-" Professor Callaghan drooled on, explaining how a navigational robot was created. Tadashi sat in the classroom beside Gogo, typing his notes into his laptop. He had kept a close eye on Callaghan since the break-in. However, the professor had done nothing suspicious. An entire month had passed and the police hadn't recovered the blueprints. Alice had assured him that it couldn't have been Callaghan, who had a solid alibi the night it happened. But he couldn't help but wonder...

"Psst, " He heard Gogo whisper, leaning over to her. She slid her tablet over to him, motioning him to read the text.

Are you staying after class? Fred wants us to go out tonight.

He looked at her with a small grin, before typing the reply on his laptop.

Yes, but I'm not going to take long. It's Baymax's 30th test. Pretty sure I've worked out all the bugs this time.

She rolled her eyes with a grin. "That's what you said last week too," She whispered with a laugh. He laughed in reply, sighing after. It was true, every time he thought he fixed Baymax, it just brought out more problems. It was starting to get to him. He turned to reply when Callaghan cleared his throat, shutting his textbook.

"That's enough for today, everyone. I want you to do the readings from chapter 46 of your texts and continue on with your personal projects," He said with a kind smile, putting the book down on the table. "Remember, I want a weekly update on your progress in my office by Thursday morning."

"'Dashi, do me a favor and hand mine in?" Gogo asked as she blew a bubble, handing him a set of stapled papers. "You gotta pass by his office to get to your lab."

"Sure. I'll text you when I'm leaving," He said as they began to pack up, the classroom getting louder as everyone began leaving and chatting with their friends.

"Whatever, nerd," She said with a snap of her gum as they walked out of the classroom, waving goodbye as they went their separate ways.

As Tadashi walked to Callaghan's office, he stared off into space, thinking about how the next test on Baymax would go. His body knew the path to his lab well and as he subconsciously turned the corner, he smacked into a set of people, knocking him over. He muttered his apologies and he stood back up, adjusting his cap. Tadashi flew past them, a bashful look on his face as he sprinted down the hall to his lab. He decided to hand the reports in later, he had to test his amazing nursing robot.

Close to an hour later, he was sporting a shiny new black eye when he left to meet up with his friends. He wasn't giving up on his robot, but goddamnit, Baymax was being a little shit. He managed to work out the limb glitches, so he couldn't punch him anymore, but it didn't do much for his shiner. He stomped down the hallway towards Callaghan's office, grumbling. Without hesitation, he opened the door and dropped both his and Gogo's reports on his desk and looked around the room. It was rather large and tidy, with blueprints and notes pinned to the wall. His wooden desk had photos of Callaghan and his daughter, as well as bookcases filled with textbooks and achievements. He shrugged, not making much of the office and left.

But something caught his eye as he left the room. He couldn't put his finger on it though...


	15. Chapter 14: Allegery Reaction

"What was the one thing I told you not to do?" Tadashi asked with a growl, staring at Hiro.

"Eat the Reese's peanut butter cup," Hiro replied, looking up as his brother with a faint grin.

"And what did you do?"

"...I ate the Reese's peanut butter cup."

Tadashi had almost had a heart attack. Like most boys, the two of them had a snack drawer in their room that was stocked full of all sorts of treats. Tadashi had bought himself the large peanut butter cup for dessert that night and shoved it in the drawer, not thinking anything of it. However, this was the day Hiro decided he really wanted to know how Reese's peanut butter tasted like. With a loud "I need to know!" Followed by the crumpling of a wrapper, Tadashi had gotten to the top of the stairs just in time to stab Hiro with his epi-pen and have Aunt Cass rush him to the hospital. He was now in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV with Aunt Cass sitting on his bed, Tadashi standing beside her.

"Honey, what were you thinking?" Aunt Cass asked, taking Hiro's hand.

"I couldn't take it anymore, I had to know!" He said, leaning back on his pillow, scratching his hives on his arm. "It was awesome, by the way."

"I'm pretty sure that shot wasn't because you were crying when you got here," Alistor chuckled, walking into the room with a chart in his hand, clad in his scrubs. He checked Hiro's vitals as Aunt Cass and Tadashi stood to the side. "The hives have gone down a fair bit, but we need to keep him for observation," He added, smacking Hiro's hand away from his arm, earning a yelp out of the younger man.

"Thanks, Alistor," Tadashi replied, ruffling Hiro's hair. "We brought some games for him."

"This isn't the first time this happened," She said with a sigh before pinching Hiro's ear. "And if you do this again, young man... Oh, you are in for it!"

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I won't, I promise!" He yelped, rubbing his ear once she released him.

"Here," Alistor whispered, handing Hiro a bunch of lollipops when Cass turned her back to them. "Thought you might want a snack."

"Awesome," He grinned, opening it up, sticking it in his mouth as Cass turned around. She rolled her eyes at the boys, sitting down at the end of the bed as Alistor handed Tadashi and her a sucker before opening one for himself.

"- for tonight. Give him two shots of acetaminophen, he'll be feeling better in no time," Tadashi heard Alice say, strutting into the room, sending off an intern. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, dressed in a white lab coat and scrubs. "Good evening, everyone," She smiled, raising an eyebrow at her android. "... So that's where they all went."

"Hey, the poor kid's having a rough night!" Alistor defended with a grin, holding his hands up. "He needs a pick me up!"

"I think everyone does, it's almost midnight," Alice said, rubbing her forehead. "I'll get everyone some coffee. Alistor, can you do a check-up on Mr. Lundi before you head out for the night?"

"Can do," He replied,writing something in Hiro's chart before clipping it to the end of his bed, leaving the room.

"We've got a dark roast, Cass, did you want a cup?" Alice asked, earning a nod from the older woman. "I'll be back soon. Did you want something, Tadashi?"

"I'll come with you," He replied, walking over to her. The two left, walking down the hall in silence as they turned the corner, and hopped into the elevator. Tadashi watched her silently as they got off, walking down to the hospital cafeteria. As Alice ordered coffee and muffins, Tadashi leaned against the counter.

"I forgot to tell you. The police recovered the prints," Alice said, taking the muffins. "Well... Most of them. They found them in an abandoned warehouse during a fire."

"Most of them?" He asked, taking the coffees as they made their way back to the room. "What happened to the other ones?"

"... They were destroyed. I think who ever took them was testing the heart bombs," She said, frowning. "I've got my concerns about this whole thing... But there's nothing I can do. At least they found the prints."

"It's looking up," Tadashi said as they got into the elevator, pressing the button for their floor. "Hey, listen. I think I ..." He started before the elevator jerked for moment before it stopped, the lights shutting off. Tadashi pulled his phone out of his back pocket, turning on the flashlight. Alice pressed some of the buttons, but nothing responded. A red emergency light lit above them, just barely lighting the elevator. He checked his phone, sighing in relief when he saw he had signal.

"My hospital cell has signal," Alice said, dialing a number on the phone. "We shouldn't be in here too long..."

"I'll call the others, see how they're doing," Tadashi replied, clicking Cass's contact as the phone rang, going to voicemail. Two tries later, he managed to get a hold of her. "Hey, Aunt Cass. We're stuck in the elevator, how's Hiro?"

"He's doing alright, Alistor is here with us," She said, the faint sound of laughter heard in the background. "They're playing some video game. He said the entire hospital is out. ... Actually, the whole block is out. There's no lights outside."

"Alice is trying to get a hold of someone in the hospital to get us out, " He replied, glancing over at Alice, who was talking quietly on the phone. "I'm going to save my battery, text me when you get updates."

Once he hung up, he looked over to Alice, who just finished her call. She sighed, putting the phone back in her coat. She leaned up against the elevator wall and slid down to the ground, making herself comfortable.

"The entire neighborhood is out of power. We've got a generator working, but it's only for the ICU and operating room," She said, Tadashi sitting down beside her. "They'll get around to us later, they've got a patient stuck in one of the other elevators so they're getting priority."

"Well, we've got snacks," He said with a smile, holding up the bag of muffins. "And all the time in the world."

"At least an hour," She laughed, leaning over and kissing him. "Two, at most." He returned the kiss, caressing her cheek as he gazed into her eyes, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. She leaned into his hand for a moment before she pulled away, handing a coffee from him.

"So... What was it you were saying earlier?" She asked, sipping the dark roast. Might as well make himself comfortable. It was going to be a long night. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I saw Yokai's mask in Callaghan's office."


	16. Chapter 15: Elevator Chit-Chat

Wow, there was a lot of favorites this week! Thank you all so much for the support! Again, another short chapter.

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"Look, I know you mean well but..." Alice started, before being cut off.

"Just hear me out! It's identical to Yokai's..." He retorted, putting his coffee down. "I don't suspect him but that mask is just sticking with me."

"... I know," She replied after a moment, touching his shoulder. "Robert is a sweet man, he wouldn't do that. Let's just... Keep our mind off it. At least until we're out of this."

Tadashi chuckled a bit, his shoulders shaking a little as he leaned back against the wall. He jumped a little when his phone beeped, altering him to a text. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, it was a photo from Aunt Cass of Hiro looking very pleased with himself with Alistor with a permanent marker mustache. The text underneath said this:

_Alistor lost three times in a row to Hiro. This was his punishment._

_\- Aunt Cass_

"Hey, check this out," He chuckled, showing her the photo. Alice gasped, grabbing the phone. She whined for a moment about how it would take ages to get that out of the silicon before she erupted into giggles. Handing the phone back, Tadashi took a dimly lit photo of the two of them, sending it back to Cass.

"It's a good thing we have signal," Alice pointed out, checking her own phone. "I just wish there was a breeze now..."

Tadashi had to admit, it was getting warm in the shaft. Alice put her phone on her lap and stripped herself of her lab coat, fanning herself with her hand. He too was feeling the heat and took off his cardigan. He glanced over at Alice's phone, noticing a timer clicking away. He reached over and picked it up, checking the time. It had been going for close to twenty minutes.

"Timing how long we'll be here for?" He asked with a smile, blushing as she took off her scrub shirt, now down to a small white tank top.

"Elevator repairs take about thirty minutes to an hour," She replied, fixing her hair. "Oh... Much better~" She smiled, leaning back against the wall. "Nice and cool. So, tell me. How's Baymax coming?"

"He's getting there, he hasn't beaten me up the last few times," He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Like before, she was a lot cooler then him and it took everything in him not to pick her up and put her in his lap. "How are your ribs?"

"Pretty much healed," Alice said, leaning against him. "Hurts a little when I bend over, but they're better. ... Ugh, is it getting warmer or is it just me?"

It was getting warmer in there. Tadashi could feel the sweat on his brow, taking off his cap and wiping it away. The air felt sticky as he moved, almost able to seem steam in the dimly lit room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alice looking at her phone, the timer now at thirty minutes. The light from her phone illuminated her face, slipping down her neck to the curve of her breast. He could see the sweat dripping down her chest and her body temperature rise. Neither of them were going to hold out for much longer.

Just then, the elevator shook and the lights came back on. The two let out a sigh of relief as the elevator smoothly took them down to the ground floor. Picking their clothing and empty coffee cups, they stood in front of the doors, waiting to reached the last floor. Tadashi found himself staring at Alice's back, looking at the scarring from the explosion. The sweat had made the tank see through and nothing was left to the imagination. The twisted and jarred skin was completely different to what he saw on the other side of her. He reached up, gently touching one of the many scars, feeling Alice shudder under his touch. When she didn't protest, he let his finger trail down the length of the scar, stopping at her waistband. It's wasn't a pretty sight, even with the cloth covering most of it. Gazing up at her, he leaned down and kissed the nape of her neck, feeling her jump at the gesture. Turning on her heel, Alice glared at him, now completely flustered. He couldn't help but smirk as he leaned in...

The doors popped open with a ding, Tadashi cursing out loud. Alice stifled a laugh as she pulled him into a kiss, ignoring the people behind her. Tadashi grinned goofily at her as they walked off the elevator, stopping short. Waiting at for them was Alistor, Aunt Cass and Hiro, all watching them with grins in their faces.

"Since you two are apparently dating, I guess I should extended the invitation for dinner to you?" Aunt Cass asked with a smile, hands on her hips.

"I think they might want to go eat each other ou-" Alistor began before Alice, Tadashi and Hiro all threw out their arms, whacking him in the face, shoulder and stomach respectively.

"As long as I can borrow a shower, I'm sure stupid here and I would love to come," Alice replied, pinching Alistor's ear, earning a high pitched whine out of the android.

"Sweet. With doctor's in the house, I can finish my peanut butter cup," Hiro said with a grin, bouncing out of the hospital down to the parking lot. Tadashi bolted after him, yelling at him as Hiro dodged him around the truck.

"Oh no! We are not doing this trip twice in one night!"


	17. Chapter 15,5: Don't Eat Past Midnight

A mini chapter to start the week, as per DisneyandWildKrattfangirl's request! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

* * *

By the time the five had gotten to the Hamada house, Tadashi had flown up to their room and disposed off all his peanut butter related snacks and disinfected the snack drawer, as well as Hiro's desk. It was just past one in the morning as Aunt Cass started up the stove, pulling out frying pans and bacon from the fridge. She laughed to herself as she heard Tadashi muttering profanities to himself as he scrubbed their room. Opening the fridge again, she sighed as she pulled out the empty carton of eggs, before she dug into her purse for her wallet.

"Tadashi, could you go and buy so-" Aunt Cass began to yell up to him until Hiro jumped in.

"I'll go get them!" He said with a grin.

"Honey, it's late. I don't really feel comfortable with you going out alone," She replied, patting his shoulder.

"I'll go with him," Alistor chimed in. Cass silently thanked him as she handed Hiro some money. "Bring back the change."

The two left the house, taking their time to get to the corner store. It had gotten colder since they had left the hospital and the two dashed into the warm store. Once inside, the two relished in the heat, saying their quick hellos to the clearly bored cashier.

"What did she need again? Just eggs?" Alistor asked, going to the back of the store, pulling open the fridge door and grabbing a carton.

"Yeah," Hiro replied, counting the money. "Damnit, there's not enough for a snack..."

"I'll buy you two, pick what you want," Alistor said as he ruffled his hair, taking the money from him. "I'll meet you up at the cash."

"Two?!" Hiro yelled with a grin, practically skipping into the candy aisle. Hard to believe he was doing the dying thing a few hours ago.

Alistor rolled his eyes as he walked up to the cash, paying for the eggs before pulling out his own wallet for his ID and asked for a pack of cigarettes. The cashier didn't even look up from his magazine as he handed him the pack. As Alistor turned to call for Hiro, he stared at him with his mouth open as Hiro dropped a giant container of gummy bears onto the counter.

"This counts as one," He said with a coy grin, plopping a chocolate bar down beside it. The cashier chuckled silently from behind his magazine, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his laughter. Alistor groaned, running his hand down his face as he handed the cashier his credit card.

"You are so lucky you're cute," He said, taking the bags from the cashier as Hiro shoved the candy bar in his hoodie pocket and followed after him, with his gummy bear container in arm. Alistor eyed him as he walked alongside him. The thing was almost half the size of him! And he was going to eat the entire thing! "You're going to have a massive stomach ache when that thing is done."

"I'm not eating it all at once!" Hiro defended, clearly caught. Alistor rolled his eyes again, putting the cigarettes in his pocket. "Since when did you smoke?"

"I don't. They're for one of my patients," He replied as they got to the house. "Don't tell Alice that though."

"As long as you don't tell Tadashi I got this," He said, holding up the chocolate bar. Alistor squinted to read the label. It was another peanut butter chocolate bar.

"Are you fucking serious?" Alistor asked, watching the younger man dash up the the door, following him inside. "I'm so happy Cass refilled your pen while we were waiting..." He said as he trudged up the stairs, greeting Aunt Cass at the landing. She motioned for them to be quiet, taking the eggs and the change before nodding to the living room. Laying on the couch was Tadashi and Alice, soundly sleeping.

"They fell asleep waiting for you both. ... Hiro, what is that?" She asked, pointing to the gummy bear container that he put on the table.

"He boff 'me for me!" Hire said as he began to stuff his mouth with the treats.

"Hiro! I'm trying to make dinner, stop eating those!" She said sternly as she cracked a few eggs into a pan. "Could you set the table please?"

With a whine, he put the lid back on the on container and put it aside, setting the table. A few minutes later, Aunt Cass had Alistor wake the sleeping couple as she served scrambled eggs to everyone, Hiro putting the toast and bacon on the table. As the groggy Alice and Tadashi sat down at the table, the five of them dug in to the breakfast for dinner. Tadashi had almost fallen back asleep in his eggs as they ate, the late nights at school now catching up to him. Aunt Cass had gotten up to make coffee as Alice cleared the table. With their backs turned, Hiro pulled the chocolate bar from out of his pocket, unwrapping it as quietly as he could. The scent of the peanut butter had Tadashi and Alistor staring pointedly at him.

"Don't." Alistor said warily, reaching out to the bar.

"You." Tadashi glared, starting to get up.

"Dare? Ahhh..." Hero said with a smirk, opening his mouth. As he went to take a bite, both Alistor and Tadashi leap across the table, tackling him and knocking the table over . The remaining plates and glasses crashed as they wrestled the bar away from Hiro, the floor now a huge, sticky mess.

"What in the world are you boys doing?!" Aunt Cass yelled, staring at the tangled mess of men, Hiro still holding the chocolate bar victoriously in his hand. "... Hiro. What is that?" She asked slowly, the look in her eyes sending shivers of fear down all three of the boys' spines.

The neighborhood didn't get much sleep that night with the sound of three boys screaming and running from the cafe owner.


	18. Chapter 16: Baymax

Hello everyone! I took a short break last week to do some plotting, plus it's also my birthday today, thought I deserved a break. Enjoy this week's short chapter! Fair warning, the next chapter is smut.

* * *

Tadashi was a GENIUS.

Well, at least in his own mind. After ages and ages of working and getting his ass beaten and all the late nights, Baymax was finally complete. It had taken him months before he finally got it right. He could barely contain his excitement as he dashed over to Wasabi's lab and pulled him over to get scanned. After that, he didn't need to go find the others, Wasabi dragged them all to the lab for him, raving about how amazing Baymax was. Everyone had been scanned, including Fred in his school mascot uniform and everyone gave the same reaction.

Baymax was a work of art and Tadashi is a goddamn genius. ... Well, the last part isn't completely true, but you get the picture. Everyone was thoroughly impressed.

"What's all the fuss about in here?" Callaghan asked, stepping into Tadashi's lab. "Ah, all your friends are here." His hands were full with a box of textbooks that he set down by the door.

"Professor, just in time!" Tadashi smiled, motioning for him to come over to the group. "I just finished my project."

"Ah! This should be interesting to see. Ms. Lore, come in. I think we'll both want to see this," He called, looking over his shoulder. Alice walked into the lab, placing another large box full of text books aside before standing shoulder to shoulder with Callaghan. "The teaching plan for next semester can wait a bit more."

"So... Let's see it," Alice smiled at Tadashi, giving the others a nod in hello.

"Just before that..." He said as reached and pinched her cheek, hard.

"Hey, wat- Ow!" She exclaimed, smacking his hand away just as hard, earning a yelp of pain from him as well. "What was that fo..." She trailed off as she watched Baymax emerge from his red travel unit, inflating and standing still, head tilting as he stared at Alice and Tadashi.

"My sensors indicated signs of distress," He said, waddling over to the two. "I will scan you now for bodily injuries. Scan complete. You have a slight abrasion on your right cheek." He continued, lighting up a projection of a person missing their right arm on his stomach. Both Callaghan and Alice moved in closer to get a better look, very interested.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?" Baymax asked, his head tilting as he waited for a reply. Alice side glanced at Tadashi, who had a smug grin on his face. She rolled her eyes as she rubbed her cheek.

"It's a five," She replied.

"Treatment for swelling on the upper body is a cold compress. Could you please move your hand?" Baymax asked, raising his own. Alice put her hand at her side, jumping a little as the vinyl robot placed his giant hand on her face.

"Is he... There's a compress in there?" She asked, slightly stunned.

"He has all sorts of things in him. Bacterial spray, antiseptics, vaccines... You name it," Tadashi said proudly, patting Baymax's back. "He's been programmed with over 10,000 medical procedures."

"He's very impressive, Mr. Hamada," Callaghan said with a smile, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "I expect you'll be showing him at science fair in a few months."

"I plan to," He smiled in return, trying to hold back laughter as Baymax patted Alice's head and gave her a lollipop. "I'll have my report of him in soon."

"Take your time, Mr. Hamada. It's good to see the results in person," Callaghan said, patting his shoulder as he turned to the door, picking up the box of textbooks. "Ms. Lore, I'll be going on ahead. We need to submit the teaching plans before five this evening."

"Of course," She replied, watching Baymax walk over to Tadashi and started assessing him. "I'm impressed. Was the marshmallow the inspiration for his design?"

"How did you know?" He said sarcastically as Baymax bandaged his arm, putting a lollipop in his cardigan pocket. "Thanks, buddy."

"I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care," Baymax replied, tilting his head at his creator. Tadashi looked at everyone with a grin, motioning at them with his hands.

"We're satisfied with our care," They all said in unison, Baymax waddling back to his travel unit, shirking down before shutting off. The group laughed to themselves before they went to back to their previous chat as Alice went to the door, picking up the box. Tadashi followed her over as she lifted the box with ease, turning around to face him.

"We're going out for drinks after. ... Did you want to come?" He asked, rubbing his neck with a small grin. "We're celebrating Baymax's completion."

"Sorry, babe. I'm upgrading Alistor tonight," She replied with a faint smile, glancing outside the lab before leaning over, giving him a sweet kiss. "Why don't you... swing by tonight?" She whispered to him, stroking his cheek gently as he blushed, nodding. Tadashi could feel the blood rush from his head down lower as she said her goodbyes, watching her go down the hall, disappearing into the shadows.

Today's testing had been a good score and it sounded like tonight, he might score as well.


	19. Chapter 17: Touch

Holy shit, this is a long ass chapter and I didn't mean for it to be. Again, there is smut in the chapter! ... Actually. Smut might be the wrong word. Porn I think is the right word.

Thank you again all for reading Upgrades! I hope you'll all enjoy the newest chapter.

* * *

Tadashi had to hand it to his friends, when they got going, it was impossible to stop them. After he locked up his lab for the day, they unanimously agreed to change the drinks to coffee.

"I want to get my plasma working properly," Wasabi said as they walked down the university's coffee shop, getting in line. "Baymax really inspired me."

"Definitely," Gogo added, placing her order. "Sorry, man. We'll go out another time."

After what seemed like the longest wait line for their coffees, the group took a seat in the cafe and started chatting before Fred brought up Tadashi's relationship with Alice, which everyone started pressing for more details. He tried his best to laugh it off, embarrassed by all the attention until his phone went off. As he checked his messages, his cheeked flushed red as he covered his mouth.

He received a text from Alice, a provocative picture that sent a shiver of excitement up and down his spine. She had taken a photo of herself lying down amongst the many pillows and fabrics in her living room, stripped down to nothing but a matching set of light green lace bra and panties that hugged her perky chest and cheeks. He had to fight back the muffled whine, but it caught everyone's attention and next thing he knew, everyone was hooting and hollering at him, further embarrassing him. As they continued to tease him, he peaked at his phone again as another test popped up from Alice.

Don't take too long~  
\- Alice

She was in for it when he got there.

Tadashi pulled over in Alice's parking lot about an hour later, taking off his helmet and locked up his moped. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked up to the house, stopping to check his reflection in the window. After his text, the group, mainly lead by Honey, had insisted on dressing him up for his big night. Gogo had practically ripped a pair of dark blue skinny jeans off their classmate while Wasabi and Fred shoved his tight black v-neck shirt on with a matching black vest, Honey polishing him off with a simple silver chain necklace and a chunky silver watch. He made a quick pose in the window, checking himself out.

"Huh... I look pretty hot," He mused to himself with a grin, walking over to the door. He pulled a set of keys out, unlocking the door. After the break-in, Alice had all the locks replaced and gave him a set of keys as well.

"Hello?" Tadashi asked, stepping inside as he kicked off his green converse. He noticed there was large cables and wires trailing out of her office and up the stairs as he came in.

"Up here," He heard Alice say, her voice muffled. He could hear rattling and the whir of a machine as he walked up the short flight of stairs, following the long cables to a large room. He whistled at the sight as he walked in. Alistor was sitting down on a bed and hooked up to several cables, leading to a computer. His chest piece had been taken off, exposing his mechanics and from what he could see, something was jammed inside. On the small side table was a large tool box, the tools tossed all about the room. Alice was crouched down in front of Alistor, having stripped down to her bra and jeans and covered in oil, having tied her hair up into a lazy bun.

"Pass me the tweezers?" She asked, holding out her hand. Tadashi let out a small chuckle as he walked over the the table, handing them to her. "Thank you. Stupid here decided that today he was going to eat a spoon."

"I'm not going to even explain myself to you," Alistor pouted, flinching as she started pulling the spoon loose from his gears. "Hey, watch it!"

"Then don't eat cutlery," Tadashi said with a laugh as she yanked the now mangled spoon loose.

"There," Alice said, tossing the spoon aside as she grabbed his chest cover from off the bed, affixing it back onto him. "Now you can load your updates." Alistor rolled his eyes as he leaned back against the wall, taping his chest as he closed his eyes. His chest lit up as a loading bar appeared, slowly loading his updates as Tadashi and Alice left the room, closing the door behind them.

"... Sorry," Alice said, rubbing her neck as they carefully side stepped the wires. "You look so nice and I'm... looking like a grease monkey." She said with a small laugh, wiping some of the oil off her arm. Tadashi gave her a quick once over before smiling. Her once light green bra was stained as well her jeans, and the smeared oil trailed down from her face to her bare feet.

"You still look great," He said, leaning in as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. She returned the kiss, stroking his cheek. He snaked his hand around her waist and pulled her close as he depending the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She quickly pulled away, looking at him for a moment before laughing.

"You're a mess!" She said, before she got in close again and tugged on his shirt. "You know... We should get you cleaned up." She purred, nipping at his earlobe.

He couldn't help but smirk as he picked her up and walked into the washroom, kicking the door closed behind them as she pulled him into another deep kiss. He nipped at her tongue as she pulled his vest off him, hiking his shirt up as she stroked his chest. His hands began to wander, touching and squeezing every inch skin he could find. Stripping himself of his shirt, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as the strain in his jeans got harder. Slipping a hand under his, she unsnapped her bra, letting it fall as she sucked and bit at his neck, moving her hips against his. He let out a shaky moan as his squeezed her, his breathing picking up.

Lopping her fingers around his belt loops, Alice pulled Tadashi into the shower behind them, him pushing her up against the wall as his tongue trailed down her chest, kissing and biting her soft breasts. Alice moaned as she ran her fingers through his hair, him caressing her breast, teasing the other with his tongue. Reaching out, he turned the knob as they suddenly were showered in the hot water, drenching them completely. The wet fabric was putting an even bigger strain on his hard-on and all Tadashi wanted was to get them off. As though she read his mind, Alice let her hand slide down his chest and unzipped his jeans, pushing them down to the ground before reaching to do her own, until he grabbed her hand.

"Let me..." He said, breathlessly as he looked her over with lust filled eyes. She gave him a small smile as he trailed kisses down her stomach, caressing her thighs as he slowly unzipped her jeans, pulling both them and her panties off in one quick motion. He glanced up at her, Alice having covers her face as he got on his knees, lifting her leg to rest on her shoulder. He could feel her shiver as he stroked her inner thigh, feeling her quiver as he touched her, her moans egging him on he touched her. He could feel her hands grabbing his shoulders as his tongue caressed her, taking in her sweet taste as he picked up the pace, moaning against her as his hand touched and stroked her thighs.

"Ta... Tada... Anh!" He could hear her say between her moans and whimpers, running her fingers through his hair, murmuring against her as he reached up, touching her.

She let her head roll back as she cried out loudly, coming as he worked his tongue on her. He smirked as he licked his lips, giving her a quick bite on the inner tight before he stood up, holding her up against him as she tried to gather herself back up. He was thrown for a loop when she smacked up against the wall, pinning him there as she went down on him, kissing the tip of his clothed member. He watched as she stroked him, teasing him when she slipped a finger into his shorts, touching him and pulling away again.

Using her teeth, she pulled down his shorts, caressing him as he moaned loudly. She looked up at him smugly as she put him between her breasts, moving up and down the length of him, the hot water from the shower keeping him wet as she teased him with her tongue, earning an equally loud moan as he tried to keep himself from trusting into her mouth. He whined as she pulled away, watching her bring a condom into the shower, ripping the wrapper with her teeth and took it out. She put it on the head of his member and used her mouth to push it down the length of him, humming against him as she started to suck him off, Tadashi muttering words unknown.

"Alice, please..." He begged, looking down at his girlfriend, lifting her chin as she caressed him, running his thumb over her lips. "I..."

"I know," She breathed, leaning into his hand as he slid down to the floor, the water pounded at them as he pulled her close into his lap, caressing her as they got into a better position. As he teased her with his head, he looked up her for a moment. He could've come right then and there with how she looked at him, eyes filled with lust, her skin dotted with hickies and the water dripping off her just made her look like a goddess in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but was pleasantly cut off by her silencing him with a kiss, slowly lowering him into her. They stayed there for a moment, holding onto each other tightly as they adjusted to the other until Tadashi began to move, trusting up into her passionately. Alice cried out as he hit that sweet spot over and over, chanting his name like a prayer and she clung to him as he squeezed her calves, burying his head into the nape for her neck. He picked up the pace as he could feel himself starting to blow over, slamming into her with long deep trusts, earning a scream of pleasure as she came again, squeezing him tightly as he bit down on her shoulder and went harder as he came, manly loudly against her skin, feeling him vibrate throughout her.

As he slowed down, Tadashi held onto Alice, melting into her as they came to a stop, breathless and flustered. They said nothing, just soaking up the others presence as the warm water showered over them. Alice softly tilted his head up to her, gently smiling as she covered him with chaste kisses, stroking his hair. He smiled as he closed his eyes, leaning back against the cool tiles as they caught their breath, idly crossing her back as they began to relax.

They stayed lost in each other's arms until the water ran cold, separating only for mere moments before they were back in each others arms again. They sat in the living room, wrapped up in a large blanket as they watched the sun set, the gentle breeze blowing the silk hangings around them, the scent of vanilla in the air. Tadashi rested his head on her shoulder, idly kissing her neck as she hummed a familiar tune.

"Here I stand and here I'll stay..." he half hearted sang to her hum, smiling. She returned the smile, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Let the storm rage on..."

"The cold never bothered me anyway," She finished with a small giggle, pulling him into another kiss as they laid down amongst the pillows and their laughter faded into the night.


	20. Chapter 18: Down In Flames

Tadashi laid there with Alice after going at it again, draping themselves across the vanilla scented pillows and drapes, completely spent. He idly traced the scars on her back with his fingertips, memorizing every dip and curve of her cool body. Alice shivered as his hand drifted down her back, idly caressing her hip.

"You still have energy for this?" She asked with a small laugh as she sat up, straddling him. "You dog."

"I'm easily influenced," He purred as he sat back up, kissing her breasts. "How are you so cold and warm at the same time?"

"I'm the queen of snow and ice, that's why," She laughed, ruffling his hair as he rested his head in her chest, wrapping his arm her waist. "... I love you. You know that, right?" She said quietly, playing with a few strands of his hair. He raised his head up, smiling sweetly.

"I love you too," He replied, leaning up to kiss her. But he was distracted when a familiar buzzing came from the table, redirecting his attention. He reached out and picked up his phone, it opening a GPS tracking app. A small red dot was moving from the Lucky Cat cafe towards the sleazy downtown of San Fransokyo.

"Shit, Hiro!" Tadashi exclaimed, tossing his phone back on the table. "I'm sorry, I need to..." he started before he was cut off by a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Go on. I think I've preoccupied you long enough," She said with a smile, giving him one last peck before he grinned, scrambling to get dressed. Alice stood up, wrapping one of the linen clothes around her as he stumbled to the door, putting on his shoes.

"I'll call you tonight," He said, turning back to her with a small smile as she fixed his hair. "Love you," He whispered, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before he dashed out the door, Alice watching him go as he jumped onto his bike and speed off.

He didn't appreciate her laughing at him when he called later that night to tell her he had gone to jail for the night.

* * *

"I can't believe it, it's today!" Hiro exclaimed, pacing around excitedly as Alistor and Tadashi loaded Aunt Cass's truck with his micro-bots. "Okay, I've got the transmitter, the bots are in there, I tied my laces... Did I pull up my fly?" He muttered to himself as Cass came down the stairs, walking over to the truck.

"Okay, that's the last of them," Alistor said, wrapping a bungee cord around the last blue bin, securing it to the truck. "Wasabi texted me, said everyone's waiting at the school to bring these bad boys in."

"Thanks, Alistor," Tadashi smiled, patting his shoulder as Aunt Cass started the car, Hiro jumping inside. "You're not working tonight too, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm working in the ER unit tonight," Alistor said as they all slid into the truck, making for a tight squeeze as they drove off to the university. "They wanted an increase in staff, apparently a lot of people get hurt around the technology fair."

"It makes sense, with all that machinery," Cass piped in, turning the corner. "They haven't had anything big reported, have they?"

"Just some minor burns and cuts, but it's a safety precaution," He replied, flinching for a second as he pulled out his ringing phone. "Sorry, I need to take this. Hello? ... Yeah, we just left. Hm? Oh, he is. Hiro, it's for you," Alistor said, handing his cell to the younger man.

"Hello? Hey, Alice. ... Yeah, it's going to be awesome, you've got to check it out," Hiro said with a grin, explaining to her over the phone the whole set-up for his micro-bots. "What? No, I'm not nervous! I'm fine. ... Yeah. Okay! Here," Hiro said, tossing the phone to Tadashi.

"Hey, Alice," He chuckled, putting the phone up to his ear. "Did you lecture him?"

"I told him it's okay to be nervous," She laughed from the other end. "I'm sorry I can't come tonight, Alistor probably told you already about the hospital."

"It's fine, they need all the doctors and nursing staff on days like today," He replied with a grin.

"You'll call me with the results?" She asked, hushing someone on the other end. "Yes, just a moment!"

"I will. Sounds like you've got your hands full over there. I'll let you go," He said with a smile as Cass turned into the university parking lot. "We just got here too."

"I'll come over the second I get the chance," She replied. "I love you."

"Love you too. We'll see you soon," He replied with a hint of blush as the entire car stared him down with huge grins. He hung up the phone quickly and handed back to Alistor, changing the subject as he leaned over and opened the door, Alistor tumbling out of the truck.

"Oh! Ow! Watch it!" He said, jumping back to his feet as Wasabi walked over with Fred, Gogo and Honey in tow. "Great, you guys are here. I'm heading to work, I'll catch you guys later."

"See you, man," Hiro waved as he dashed off towards the hospital. "Come on, let's get these inside."

"Ohh, I'm so excited! This thing is going to be a blast!" Fred said, pumping his fists in the air as they unloaded the truck. As they rolled the bins into the hall, Tadashi looked around at all the presenters, taking in the vibe of the place. But something was catching his eye everywhere he looked. There were small silver items everywhere around the hall. They looked familiar.

It wasn't until the hall was on fire that he knew what they were. He ran up the stairs, ignoring the pleas of his little brother as he shoved the door open, running through the flames to where Callaghan was. The heat was intense and smoke filling the room made it hard to see and breathe. The flames licked at his legs as he ran past them, wincing in pain as he got closer to the presentation area.

"Professor Callaghan! Professor!" He yelled, coughing as he strained his eyes, trying to find him. "Where are you?!"

He saw movement up ahead and he followed in, narrowly missing as a fiery beam came crashing down, the the debris sent him flying to the ground. As he struggled to get back up, his heart stopped at what he saw.

Callaghan had his back turned to him as he put on the transmitter, the micro-boys forming a shield around him. He reached out, the fire spreading closer to him as he tried to stand.

"Profess-" He was cut off by the loud boom of an explosion, the building shaking as the flames swallowed him whole. He screamed as the fire ripped through his body, felling the tearing and ripping of his skin and crushing of bones as the ceiling beg and dropping around him. Everything became hazy, disoriented as he vision blurred, reaching out for something.

"... Dashi!... Tadashi!" He could hear the faint sound of Hiro's voice...

... then it all went black.


	21. Chapter 19: A Nasty Scar

"Alright, is that everything?" Alice asked, handing her chart to the nursing station. It was just past ten that evening and the hospital was a buzz. Like predicted, there was several people from the fair getting their injuries taken care of. Alice had treated most of them herself, the worst being ten stitches on someone's arm. The chief nurse shook his head, checking the chart before filing it away.

"No, that should be everything, Dr. Lore," He replied, pulling another set of charts out. "Is Alistor back from his rounds yet?"

"No, he didn't have rounds. You put him in the OR tonight," She replied as she pulled out her phone, checking it for texts. "Hm..."

"Nothing about the little brother?" He asked as she lent up against the station.

"Not a word. He's got better things on his mind," She said, shoving the phone back into her pocket. "I'll give him a cal- What in the..." She asked as a crackle from the radio cut through the conversation.

"Prepare burn OR for use. Adult, male, with severe burns all over body with a partial severed leg arriving," The ambulance radioed in, sounding urgent. "Repeat, prepare OR..."

"I'll go head up," Alice said with a quick nod as the nursing station was suddenly busier, the chief calling in for preparation. While she wasn't a burn specialist, Alice was experienced in nerve damage and depending on how bad the leg was, she could be of some help. She wasn't about to let someone else lose their limb over a bad operation.

She dashed down the hallway, turning the corner to the elevator. Before she could get in, the ambulance team wheeled in a man covered in a aluminum blanket in, the scent of rotting and burnt flesh pungent in the air. She began to turn away from the patient, trying to keep herself from gagging.

"H-Hiro..." A weak familiar voice whispered from the elevator.

Alice turned around quickly, her face paling. Tadashi was strapped down on the stretcher, trying to lift his arm to reach for something. As he did, the blanket fell off, exposing the damage. The entire left half of his face was completely burnt and his eyelid had taken some severe damage. The burn covered the length of his face and neck, the skin already hardening. His body was completely covered in third degree burns and his left leg was in terrible shape, his white bones jutting out of the burnt skin. She lept into the elevator, taking his hand, doing her best to stay calm.

"Tadashi!" She said, her voice shaking. "I need you to stay with me, okay? Keep talking to me, you're going to be fine..."

"He... He got in..." Tadashi muttered, his good eye trying to focus at the ceiling above. "He's... In..."

"That's great, baby. Keep going..." She said as the techies loaded him off the elevator, Alice running along side them as they wheeled him down the long hallway. "What happened to him?" She demanded, staring the tech down for answers.

"I... " He started before his voice faltered, replaced by ragged breathing. He shut his eye tightly, face scrunched up in pain as he screamed, her heart stopping. "Ugh!"

"Hey, I need you to stay with me! We're almost there!" Alice said, trying to calm him down as they rushed him through the doors. He continued his wail, breaking into sobs as he tried to speak. The techs did their best to move him onto the table as the nurses worked as fast as they could to hook him up to an IV. He whimpered in pain, tears now running down his face as they did

"Callaghan... He t-took..." He whimpered, his arms now limp at his sides as the medication seeped into his system. "... Hiro's..."

"Shh..." She hushed him quietly as they began to hook up him to life support. Her hands shook violently as she pulled out a light from her pocket, checking the movement of his damaged eye. She swore under her breath as he eye refused to track the light. "Tadashi, please..." She whispered, watching as he laid there, his eye no longer focusing on anything. She tried to hold back her tears as she leaned over, kissing his forehead.

"... I'll be here when you wake up, okay? You just... You just hold on for me," She said quietly to him, watching him close his eyes as he drifted off, the pain medication kicking in. The doctors muttered to the others before a nurse came over and gently pulled her away and brought her outside of the operating room, stroking her back.

"I'm so sorry..." She said as Alice shoke, holding her face in her hands. "We think it's best if you sit this out... We'll do everything we can for him."

"No! I need to be in there!" She protested, trying the fight her way back inside.

"Dr. Lore, Please! We know he's important to you, but you're in no condition to work on him in the state he's in!" The nurse said faintly, holding Alice still by the shoulders as she stared at her, eye to eye. "You need to get a hold of yourself. ... When he's stable and we've finished with his burns, we'll come find you for his leg."

"I... I'm sorry..." Alice managed to whisper, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm so..." She trailed off as a small sob break free, the nurse wrapping her arms around her, stroking her back.

"I know, honey. ... I couldn't work when it was my husband on the table..."

After a moment, Alice excused herself from the nurse, who went back inside as she watched her go, getting quick peak inside before the door slammed shut. He was on a breathing tube and doctors were working on saving his eye. She stood there for a moment, breathing shaky as she slowly turned around and walked towards the waiting area, wiping her her face. As she approached, a familiar voice echoed down the hall.

"Tadashi!" She heard Hiro yell, choking on his words. "No, let go of me! Tadashi!" She dashed to the room quickly to see Alistor holding Hiro back, in tears as he clutched to Tadashi's ball cap.

"Hiro, please! You can't be in there!" Alistor protested, holding the younger man steady. "He's already gone into surgery!"

"Hiro," Alice said, keeping her voice and calm and steady as she could, walking over to him. "Just take a deep breath. ... What happened?" She gently took his hands as he heaved, sobs escaping.

"A fire started in the hall and... And he ran in to try and save Professor Callaghan but..." He managed to get out before Aunt Cass came running over, checking on him before grabbing Alice's arms tightly.

"Where is he? Is he going to be alright?!" She asked in a panic, squeezing her arm harder. She could feel her skin begin to bruise as she placed her hand on her shoulder, looking at both Hiro and Cass. "Alice, please..." Cass begged, watching her with fear in her eyes. Alice stood there in silence for a moment, unsure how to tell them what was happening to Tadashi in the operating room.

"... Tadashi has third degree burns all over his body. The damage is extensive to his left eye and leg. We're doing the best we can to keep him stable." She said, making eye contact with the two.

"Why aren't you in there?" Alistor asked, watching her as he let go of Hiro. She looked down at the floor for a moment, running her fingers through her hair. She stayed silent, watching Alistor help Cass sit Hiro on the couch, doing her best to comfort him.

"Dr. Lore?" A nurse said quietly, peaking into the waiting room. It was the same one that had lead her out of the OR. Alice looked over at Cass quickly, exchanging glances with Alistor as she walked over, turning the corner with the nurse. "You need to change into your scrubs."

"... Alright," She replied quietly, following after the nurse, glancing back at Alistor comforting Hiro and Cass. She had work to do.

* * *

The hospital was dead as midnight passed, the lights now dimmed as the many patients tried to sleep. Aunt Cass idly stroked Hiro's hair as he slept on her lap, clutching Tadashi's hat. She looked worse for wear as Alistor walked back into the waiting room, handing her a coffee as he sat down across from her. He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing as he looked up at the clock. It had been three hours since Alice had left and no word had come back yet about Tadashi's condition.

"How's he holding up?" He asked, nodding to Hiro. His eyes were red and swollen from crying and his sleep looked anything but peaceful.

"He just fell asleep..." Aunt Cass replied softly, rubbing her eyes. "It's been a... it's been a long day."

"Where's Wasabi and the others?" He asked.

"They were in the waiting room downstairs a few hours ago. ... I told them we'd call with news, there's no reason to keep them here," She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "... When do you think he'll be out?"

"Could be now, could be in four hours... I have no idea wha-" He started, becoming quiet as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He placed his coffee aside, standing up as the person got closer. "Alice?" She stepped into the waiting room, her scrubs stained with blood. Alistor touched her shoulder gently, watching her concerned as she walked over it Aunt Cass, kneeling down to eye level.

"I need you to be strong, okay? For both of you..." Alice said quietly, glancing down at Hiro. "The damage to his leg was severe and he's suffered some serious blood loss. We won't know the full extent of the damage until he wakes up."

"What do you mean? Isn't he responding?" She asked quietly

"... His mind and body are functioning, but something's keeping him from waking," Alice replied after a moment, squeezing her fists hard. "We can only hope he'll wake in the morning."

But he didn't wake up that morning. Or the next or the one following. Tadashi Hamada laid in the hospital bed, comatose. Nothing would wake him, including Hiro.


	22. Chapter 20: Final Upgrades

Four long months had passed since the accident and Tadashi laid in his hospital bed, comatose. His wounds had healed long ago, but his mind kept him from waking up. When he didn't wake after a week, doctors suggested for Aunt Cass and Hiro to prepare themselves for the worst. Everyday they came to see him, talking to him and telling him how much they missed him, but Tadashi never stirred.

But he knew something was going on. Tadashi was awake in his mind, trying to get his body to do the same. During a visit one night with Hiro, he heard him say that he and Baymax where going to catch the man responsible for his accident. Then suddenly, he was aware. Everyday following, he could hear as his brother would tell him about his progress and how his friends where helping him. He listened as Cass told him how Hiro had finally signed up for classes, he listened to how his friends missed him. He listened while Wasabi expressed his concerns with becoming superheros, listened to Fred fanboy over his suit and Honey and Gogo explain how theirs worked. He heard Hiro cry when he told him he lost Baymax in the portal and they had caught Callaghan...

Tadashi wanted nothing more then to show them he could hear them, to get up and be with them. He screamed and cried, but noting escaped his lips. He was trapped inside himself. When no one was there, he sat in the darkness of his mind, trying to wake himself up. He couldn't tell how long he had been out. Time stayed still for him.

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, stopping short of the bed. He felt the touch of a hand against the fabric and a pair of soft, icy lips kissing his forehead. Cold fingertips stroked his cheek gently before pulling away, the chilled touch lingering on his skin. He wanted nothing more then to lean his head into the fading touch.

"It's me again," He heard as he felt the bed shift its weight, Alice having sat on the side. "Baymax is finally fixed!" He felt her chuckle rumble through the bed. "Hiro and him are going to be here soon, Baymax got stuck the elevator. ... Don't tell him I told you, he's really excited."

"He's doing well, I mean... For a 14 year old university student. He missed several assignments while he was... You know. He handed them in today during my lunch break. You weren't lying when you said he was a genius!" She continued as he felt her push his hair from his face. "We need to get you a haircut, love..."

"You know, it would be great to see both of you in classes," She said, her voice becoming quiet. "... It'd be great to see you respond."

He wanted to, desperately. He chanted her name, trying the get his mouth to move, his fingers to twitch. Something to let her know he was still in there. The quiet of the room filled the air, his attempts to wake up in vain. His mind went into a frenzy as the weight from the bed was lifted and the sound of footsteps faded. He could feel a fire welling up inside him, burning and itching at his skin as he tried to force his eyes open. He could feel his body heating up as every nerve in his body lit up, sending signals across his skin. His breathing picked up and his heart raced as his lips trembled...

And from deep inside him, he bellowed loud and clear, his eyes shooting open as sweat poured down his face. The light of the room blinded him, shutting his eyes tight again. As though he had been set aflame again, his skin burned and ached, letting out a wail of pain as his limbs ached with every movement. He cried out, tears streaming down his as the heat consumed him. His throat burned as his long forgotten voice spilled out of him like a flame.

Then it was cold. He opened his eyes, breathing heavily as he simmered down, resting his head against the cold hand, taking in the calming effect as he sank into his pillow. His blurred vision settled after a moment, Alice's face coming into view as she stood above him, looking completely shocked.

"Tadashi?" She whispered, barely audible over the sound of his breathing. He replied with nothing but a small smile as the chill of her hand settled the fire in his system, reaching up and placed his hand over hers. He glanced over to the door as Alistor run into the room, dropping his charts before he ran back out, yelling down the hallway.

"I need you to keep still, okay?" She said as her voice shook, taking a small flash light out of her lab coat and watched as both his eyes tracked the light. He felt her hand tremble as he reached up, taking her face in his hands and pulled her down, kissing her passionately. She returned the kiss with the same fire, wrapping her arms around his neck as he sat up, embracing her tightly. As a spark of pain flew up his left leg, he pulled away, whining in pain as he clutched it. But something didn't feel right as he looked down at his left hand. His ring finger and pinkie finger where gone, amputated while his arms were completely covered in burn scars. He glanced down at the sheets as Alice got back up before he carefully pulled the sheets back, his eyes widening at the sight. His left leg had been amputated as well, from his mid calf down. He shook as he tried to find the words the speak as he looked over himself.

"Tadashi..." Alice soothed,making his shoulders and having him face her. "When the building came down, it-" She started before she was suddenly cut off by Hiro, who had leapt onto the bed, hugging his brother as Baymax waddled into the room with Alistor in tow.

"Tadashi! Tadashi..." Hiro yelled as he began crying, Tadashi returning the hug as vigorously. "You're awake! Oh god, wait until Aunt Cass gets here..."

"She should be arriving soon," Alistor piped in as he walked with Baymax to his bedside, Tadashi ruffling Hiro's hair. "Just called her a few minutes ago."

"Tadashi, your heart rate has increased. Are you feeling alright?" Baymax asked as he scanned him. Tadashi grinned in reply as Hiro got off the bed, making room for Baymax to work. "Your mental state is considerably stabler then earlier."

"Well... It's nice to see everyone again," He said with a chuckle as Alistor propped him up with a pillow, having Hime lay back down. "But uh... These will take some getting used to," He added, waving his now three fingered hand.

"The explosion caused severe damage to your body. Due to the burns on your upper body, you contracted gangrene in your left hand. In order to prevent further infection, your fingers were removed," Baymax said, lighting up a diagram of a male on his chest with it's left leg gone and the left hand's two fingers. "Your leg was severed when the building came down. However, both affected areas still have working nerve endings and connection to the brain."

"That means..." Tadashi trailed off, looking up at Alice as she walked over to Baymax, tapping his belly as he zoomed into the leg and hand.

"We need to run some tests first, to see how you're holding up after being out of it for so long... But you're getting them back," She said with a smile, watching as his face lit up. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you work on these ones."

Within minutes, the hospital room was filled as Aunt Cass, Wasabi, Gogo, Honey Lemon and Fred pilled inside, everyone throwing themselves on top of the bed and scrambling to to hug their long lost friend. The only sounds that drifted into the hallway were cries of joy and laughter.

The fire had done its damage, but it hadn't taken everything from them.

* * *

The sun began to set over the bay as Tadashi leaned against Wasabi's balcony, watching as the ships sailed out of the harbor and the cars drove along down below. Two months had passed since he had woken up and that evening, everyone was going to celebrate Tadashi's recovery and Hiro's acceptance to SFIT. He glanced out over his shoulder behind him, grinning at everyone inside before his eyes settled on his own reflection. He was dressed in a white suit and black dress shirt, leaving the shirt unbuttoned. The scars from his burns had faded, but they were still visible. He liked the way they looked but he still had trouble getting used to his new limbs. After he was released from the hospital, he designed his new leg and fingers.

Alice had a bit of fun when she gave him the finished product, having added some veins that lit up and dimmed with the beat of his heart, the lights the color of a flame. He started down at his hand as he flexed and stretched it, holding it out against the fading sun as he watching the glow match the color of the sky.

"You do know you can turn that off, right?" He heard Alice say, turning around the face her. He felt breathless as she walked out onto the balcony, her dark navy gown trailing behind her as she approached him, smiling. Her right arm's prosthetic glowed with a light blue, like his did as she stood beside him, resting her hands on the railing.

"I know, but I like the way it looks," He said with a grin, looking back at the commotion inside. "Is everyone ready?"

"Almost, Hiro's trying to get Baymax into a tuxedo," She replied with a chuckle, looking out over the bay. "He wants it to be prefect. He's been waiting six months for this..."

"It will be," He replied, wrapping his arm around her waist. "We've all waited for this." He and Alice turned around as Alistor stepped out on the balcony with Honey Lemon, holding a camera. "Are we ready to go?" Tadashi asked with a grin as Honey adjusted Alistor's tie.

"Almost! But first, photos!" Honey said with a smile, posing with her camera. "Alkaline, smile!" She said as she snapped a photo of Alistor. "Oh, that was good!"

"Alkaline?" Alice asked with a chuckle as Alistor rubbed his neck embarrassedly.

"It's Fred's idea, " He said as Honey handed him the camera, taking some photos of her as she posed expertly. "Your turn, guys," He said with a grin, aiming the camera at them quickly, snapping a quick photo. "Come inside, we're heading off soon."

"We'll be there in a minute," Alice replied, turning to Tadashi once they were alone. "I have something for you," She said, slipping a small box from out of her dress pocket, handing it to him. "I sized it against myself so... Just try it on."

Tadashi felt his cheeks go red as he opened the ring box, carefully taking one of what he thought were two silver rings. It had a rougher feel to it as he ran his finger along the outer part. The way it shined in the light reminded him of starlight. He slipped it on his left ring finger, clamping it into place on the prosthetic as he held it up to the sun, watching it shimmer in the light.

"It's made from a meteorite," She said softly, brushing the hair out of her face. "I know it's a little much for this, but I-" She began as Tadashi cut her off with a sweet kiss, silencing her instantly as she returned the kiss. He smiled as he took her hands in his, slipping the mate onto her ring finger. They stood there in silence, basking in the others warmth as they held each other close. Alice pulled away after a moment, nodding towards the apartment.

"I think we've kept them waiting long enough," She said with a smile, as Hiro slid open the door, waiting for them to come in.

"Hurry up! What are you even going out here, getting married?" Hiro asked sarcastically as they stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Tadashi smirked as he held up his and Alice's hands, showing off their rings to the group.

"You could say that," He said with a chuckle. He was pleased that his comment was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek, rather then the regular smack to the arm. The room erupted with questions within seconds, demanding answers as they all let the apartment.

There were many things that had changed over the year, but it made the future a lot more fun to look forward to.

* * *

Thank you all so, so much for going on this journey with me! I'm so grateful for all your kind reviews and favorites. When I started this fanfiction, I didn't think it would become so long and well liked!

From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to all of you. My new readers to my long time reviewers, you made this worth the while. I hope you will all support me in the sequel, Hathbrigner. If you've ever wanted to see comics or drawings related to Upgrades, please visit the Upgrades tumblr! I'm always open to answer questions. .com

Again, thank you all so much!


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